In this Wednesday’s local elections, there are more council seats to be filled than there were four years ago. Based on the latest population figures, dozens of local councils are expanding, with a total of 102 seats being added across the country. Only one municipality is set to lose seats, meaning 8,552 positions are up for grabs next week.
The number of seats on a council is legally tied to how many people live in the area the year before an election. These councils range from 9 members in small villages to 45 in large cities with over 200,000 residents. To make sure there is never a tie in votes, every council must have an odd number of members. For every 5,000 new residents, a council grows by two seats, which is happening in 51 areas this year, including Wageningen, De Ronde Venen, and Schiedam.
There are a few unique cases this year as well. In Dronten, the population didn’t officially hit the 45,000 mark until after the January deadline, but the town successfully applied to get its two extra seats anyway. On the other hand, Eemsdelta in Groningen is the only place where the council is shrinking, dropping from 29 seats to 27.
Major changes are also coming for Wijdemeren and Hilversum, as the two areas are set to merge in 2027. This move will see their combined total of 56 councillors cut down to 39. Because of this merger, residents there won’t vote until this autumn, and the new combined council will officially start its work in 2027.
@anp | NEWS BRAINPORT
