‘People who say municipalities simply carry out national policy act as if the parlement can decide everything itself,’ says political scientist Henk van der Kolk. He has worked for many years with Stichting Kiezersonderzoek Nederland, which studies what motivates voters and how much trust they have in politics and democracy around election time.

‘But national politics also operates within limits,’ Van der Kolk explains. ‘For example, because of financial constraints and European regulations. In short: every level of government has its boundaries.’

‘If you look at politics this way, you see that local government does have influence. Municipalities can set their own priorities and make choices based on political considerations.’

Municipal politics in practice

How does this become visible in your own town or city? Van der Kolk mentions two areas where municipalities make clear political choices.

Building new homes

Where do you build, and for whom? Should housing be aimed at higher-income groups or at people in the social housing sector?

In the past, the municipality of Enschede deliberately built homes for higher-income residents in order to attract them to the city and strengthen the local economy. The location of housing development also matters. Do you prioritise nature conservation, or do you reserve space for industry

Care and support

Municipalities are also responsible for aspects of health care. Under the Social Support Act (Wmo), local authorities help residents live independently at home for as long as possible. Municipalities must organise and provide this support.

They can choose different approaches. One option is a tailored approach, where neighbourhood teams visit residents and assess what kind of support they need. Another option is a general system with a central service desk where residents must apply for assistance themselves.

Tailored support often fits people’s situations better, but it is considerably more expensive. A general approach is cheaper, but it may not match someone’s circumstances.

How local and national elections influence each other

Van der Kolk is clear about the relationship between national and local elections: national developments strongly influence local elections.

‘If a party such as Forum voor Democratie gains seats nationally, you often see that reflected in municipalities where the party previously had little presence. Voters then cast their ballot in municipal elections based on national politics.”

The influence in the opposite direction, from local to national politics, is less strong. Nevertheless, municipal elections can act as a barometer of national political sentiment.

‘If governing parties perform well in municipal elections, this is often seen as support for the national government. If they perform poorly, the cabinet may start to question whether its policies should be adjusted.’

Local parties versus local branches

What types of parties take part in municipal elections, and how do they differ?

There are several types of local political organisations:

• Local branches of national parties (such as local branches of D66 or the VVD), which function as full political parties with members, boards and meetings.

• Independent local parties that exist only within a single municipality (such as the Amsterdamse Alternatieve Alliantie). These operate in much the same way as local branches of national parties.
• Candidate lists with a national label that are mainly organised from the national party, with limited local structure (such as local lists connected to the PVV, JA21 or Partij voor de Dieren). These often rely on a small group of volunteers and lack a formal local board.

Being connected to a national party has both advantages and disadvantages, Van der Kolk explains.

‘National parties have larger networks, which makes it easier to access information and exchange experiences with other municipalities.’

At the same time, local branches are tied to the positions of the national party. ‘As a local branch, you cannot advocate policies that go directly against the national line. That limits your freedom somewhat. And if the national party performs poorly, the local branch remains linked to it.’

Considering an electoral threshold at local level

For the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, Van der Kolk and colleagues are studying what would happen if an electoral threshold were introduced at municipal level.

Currently, many municipal elections in the Netherlands do not have such a threshold. As a result, smaller parties can sometimes win a seat with relatively few votes.

What would change if a threshold were introduced? According to the researchers, the measure would likely have less impact than policymakers expect.

‘The proposal is intended to reduce the large number of small parties in bigger municipalities. But parties that fall just short of a single seat are relatively rare. That means the total number of parties would probably not decrease very much.’

However, the rule could mean that certain groups of voters lose representation, particularly in smaller municipalities.

‘If this rule had existed in 2010, the VVD and PvdA would not have won seats on the island of Ameland. That would mean that 20–30% of voters would effectively lose representation.'

Make your voice heard

‘Go vote Wednesday to make your voice heard within your municipality,’ Van der Kolk concludes. ‘What matters most to you? Housing, green spaces, care, or safety?' Representation also plays an important role, he adds.

‘Together we are responsible for maintaining our democracy. In the end, your vote does not directly determine policy, but it decides who will shape that policy over the next four years. Vote for people who make sensible contributions in the municipal council, so that you do not have to do it yourself. Then you can relax and watch Netflix, or perhaps do some voluntary work.”