Those members of the Council who are also MSZP members spoke to Népszabadság and told the newspaper that the situation for Pest County was not just serious but dire.  In the opinion of László Keller, Socialist member of the Council, "the county is virtually insolvent."

In a revealing interview with Hungarian daily Népszabadság, Lajos Szűcs spoke about the financial crisis that Pest County is going through.  Szűcs, the Chairperson of the Pest County Council, said "while we are going through a very tough period, we are not on the verge of bankruptcy. However, it is true that members of the Council will not receive either a salary or expenses this month."

Szűcs said that the Council had to choose between maintaining basic services or receiving a salary, and the Council voted unanimously to maintain services.  In reality, the Council did not have a choice about how to proceed.  Had they voted to shut down basic services in the County but draw a pay check, the political fallout would have been devastating.

Szűcs also made a point to clarify the situation.  He said, "the Council has no debts, although we are having difficulty in covering our expenses. Our job is to ensure that we stay on our feet and stay afloat. We're trying to ensure that residents still have access to basic services and that Pest County continues to do what it is tasked to do."

He added, "if it was just us in this situation, I would be ashamed. It's not easy, but we have to get through it."

The Council has spoken with the national government over County expenses and funding and about what the County's responsibilities are, although Szűcs did not reveal precisely what had been discussed.

Pest County is the county within which Budapest city lies.  However, Budapest will not be effected directly by County issues, because they receive their funding through different channels.

Read this article in Hungarian