Minister Uitermark of Interior and Kingdom Relations presented the plans during the hundredth congress of the Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG). There she emphasized the importance of local involvement for social cohesion, democracy, and the broad resilience of the Netherlands.

Minister Uitermark: “We make society together. It is important that you can recognize yourself in your own environment, that you can keep up, participate, and have a say, and that you feel represented. And that the threshold is low to take on a role in this if you want to. That is why we invest in local governance and local initiatives. This is crucial for our democracy, especially in times when we face great challenges and need each other more than ever.”

Supporting local initiatives and citizenship

Many Dutch people are willing to contribute to society and do so. The Netherlands has thousands of initiatives such as local cooperatives, youth initiatives, community centers, or social enterprises that help keep the Netherlands running. It is important to pay attention to these initiatives and to strengthen and support them. In this regard, the Ministry of Interior and Kingdom Relations works with the National Association for Small Communities and the National Collaboration Active Residents. This way, we provide support for social initiatives throughout the Netherlands and create space for local communities. We also collaborate with the Vfonds on Loket D. Loket D is specifically for small, local initiatives. It concerns ideas that come from the neighborhood where people can participate, discuss, and decide.

Increasing involvement in local governance and reducing workload

Good local administrators and representatives are also one of the important foundations of our society and democratic rule of law. They contribute to connection and involvement with their living environment. It is therefore important that we have enough people who want to be active as administrators or representatives and that they can perform their work well.

About 15% of the Dutch say they would be willing to run for the municipal council if asked. However, the local office is under pressure. Local administrators indicate that their role is at odds with their private balance (23%) and that there is too much pressure in combination with (other) work (21%). They also often face aggression, threats, or intimidation (45%).

The cabinet is therefore focusing on measures to reduce workload and increase the attractiveness of the political office. Research shows that especially in large cities, a disbalance has arisen between the number of inhabitants and the number of representatives. Therefore, it is being investigated whether we can revise the 128-year-old scale that determines the size of the council. This way, the largest municipal councils can grow, allowing the work to be better distributed. An additional effect is that a better reflection may also arise.

It is also being looked at how the number of aldermen could be increased in combination with the position of part-time aldermen. This way, the workload can be better distributed, as aldermen have to tackle many social tasks.

Furthermore, there will be an additional investment of 1 million euros in the training and support of office holders. This will be done through professional associations. The ministry will also start a campaign to encourage people to participate in local governance. This is important because nearly half of all local parties are now struggling to find suitable candidates for the municipal council. This number has also increased by 10% compared to 2018. The campaign will specifically look at how underrepresented groups can be addressed, such as people with disabilities, those with a practical education, a migration background, and women.