Bill on the Reorganization of the Municipalities Hilversum and Wijdemeren to the House of Representatives

The Council of Ministers, on the proposal of Minister Rijkaart of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, has approved submitting the reorganization bill of the municipalities Hilversum and Wijdemeren to the House of Representatives. These municipalities aim to lightly merge by adding the territory of Wijdemeren to Hilversum. The municipality of Wijdemeren will thus be dissolved.

Earlier, the Council of Ministers approved submitting the bill to the Council of State. In October, the Council of State gave a positive advisory opinion on the bill, after which the cabinet decided to send it unchanged to the House of Representatives.

Since 2024, the municipalities of Hilversum and Wijdemeren have been exploring cooperation possibilities. Residents, entrepreneurs, and municipal councils see advantages in a light merger of the two municipalities. The reorganization will create a strong municipality that has its services in order for its residents and can address social challenges.

By submitting this bill to the House of Representatives, paragraph 2 of chapter VII of the Wet arhi is activated, enabling the municipalities of Hilversum and Wijdemeren to postpone the municipal elections in March 2026 and, with approval from both the House and Senate, to organize reorganization elections in November 2026. The term of office of the current municipal council members will be extended until January 1, 2027: the date the intended reorganization will take place.