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![Azure, billetty Or a lion with a coronet Or armed and langued Gules holding in his dexter paw a sword Argent hilted Or and in the sinister paw seven arrows Argent pointed and bound together Or. [The seven arrows stand for the seven provinces of the Union of Utrecht.] The shield is crowned with the (Dutch) royal crown and supported by two lions Or armed and langued gules. They stand on a scroll Azure with the text (Or) "Je Maintiendrai" (French for "I will maintain".)](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fwikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aState_coat_of_arms_of_the_Netherlands.svg) |
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Local government |
 Politics portal |
In theNetherlands, themunicipal executive (Dutch:college van burgemeester en wethouders, oftentimes abbreviated tocollege van B en W;lit. 'college of mayor and aldermen') is the executive board of amunicipality.[1][2] It plays a central role inmunicipal politics in the Netherlands, similar to thecommunal college in Belgium.[3] It consists of themayor and the members of the municipal executive (aldermen).[1][2]
Themayor (Dutch:burgemeester, sometimes translated as 'burgomaster') is the chairperson of the municipal executive, and therefore holds thecasting vote in the event of a tie.[1] Their role is comparable to the roles of thePrime Minister in thecabinet, theKing's Commissioner in theprovincial executives, and thelieutenant governor in theexecutive councils of theCaribbean Netherlands.
The mayor is appointed by themonarch (de facto by theMinister of the Interior) for a renewable six-year term.[1] Like the aldermen, the mayor has a portfolio, which always includes public order and safety.[4] Most mayors are members of apolitical party, but they are expected to carry out their tasks in anon-partisan manner.
Thealdermen (alsoalderwomen oralderpersons;Dutch:wethouders)[5][6] are the board members of the municipal executive. Their role is comparable to the roles of theministers in the cabinet and the deputies in the provincial executives. Other common translations includedeputy mayors,vice mayors andportfolio holders,[2][6][7] although the former titles may be reserved for aldermen who are empowered to act for the mayor in their absence (Dutch:locoburgemeester).
After every municipal election, the aldermen are elected to the municipal executive by the members of themunicipal council.[8] Usually, they elect sitting members of the municipal council, but it is also possible to nominate people from outside the council.[a] Unlikealdermen in English-speaking countries,wethouders cannot simultaneously be members of the municipal council.[8] Therefore, municipal councillors must resign their seats when they are elected into the office of alderman. The municipal council also holds the power to remove an alderman from office by means of amotion of no confidence.[8]
The aldermen are assigned portfolios within the municipal executive and, in this capacity, prepare, coordinate, and plan policy and legislation for the council as a whole.[9] They are also charged with the day-to-day government of the municipality and the implementation of legislation.[9] The aldermen report to the municipal council on all aspects of what is happening within their portfolios. The municipal executive functions as a committee that reaches decisions by way of consensus.
According to the Municipality Act (Dutch:Gemeentewet), the number of aldermen cannot exceed 20% of the number of members of the municipal council, but there must be at least two. In Dutch municipalities with 18,000 inhabitants or less, the office of alderman is a part-time position. In larger municipalities, the office is a full-time position, but the municipal council may opt to designate one or more portfolios as part-time positions, in which case the maximum number of aldermen is 25% of the number of municipal councillors.
Themunicipal secretary (Dutch:gemeentesecretaris), who is chosen by the municipal executive, is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the municipal executive and assists with administrative matters.
Political parties play an active role in municipal politics in the Netherlands. The party with the most members on the municipal council is considered to be in control of the municipal government. Usually, none of the parties wins an absolute majority, socoalitions have to be formed. Since the council members vote for the members of the municipal executive, the municipal executive is also chosen along party lines. As a result, two different types of municipal executives exist:
Municipal councillors sometimes form party-based coalitions and vote inblocs to prevent members of opposing political parties from joining the executive board. This means that a party that does well in the municipal election may not be represented in the municipal executive. For example, from 2002 to 2006, the municipal executive ofRotterdam consisted of aldermen from right-wing parties (CDA,VVD andLeefbaar Rotterdam), while theLabour Party had been the second largest party in the municipal council. InGroningen, the left-wing parties (Labour Party,Socialist Party andGroenlinks) kept members of right-wing parties out of the executive, despite a strong performance in the 2006 election.
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