City Government

Design

There are 45 seats on the council, which are contested by the various political parties. Council members are elected every four years by residents of the city of Amsterdam.

In the current council term, the following political parties are represented on the Council: Labour Party (20 seats), Liberals (8 seats), Green Left (7 seats), Democrats 66 (2 seats), Christian Democrats (2 seats) and Socialist Party (6 seats).

Most Councillors also have a job next to their Council work . This is because council membership is voluntary work, for which Councillors merely receive an allowance. Amsterdam Councillors devote on average about 30 hours per week to Council work.

The Council meets every second Wednesday at 13:00 and, if necessary, again at 19:30 the same day. These meetings are open to the public and are held in the Council Chamber at City Hall. The meetings begin with a 'question-time' session, during which Councillors can ask questions about matters of current interest.

Contacting the Council

There are various ways in which Amsterdam's citizens can get in touch with the City Council. For example, one can:

• Write a letter to the council (known as a 'council address'). 

• Express an opinion at committee meetings.

• Approach councillors and/or the political parties or write a letter.

For more information about the various ways of making your voice heard and public comment procedures, see Having a Say.

The College of Aldermen

The day-to-day running of Amsterdam is the task of a 'college' made up of the Mayor and currently five Aldermen. Aldermen are elected by and from the Council. After they are appointed, the Aldermen remain members of the full Council and vote in its meetings. The Mayor and the five Aldermen share their work: Each has his or her own portfolio and areas of responsibility.

The College prepares the resolutions to be adopted by the Council and implement these resolutions once they have been adopted. The Council may also reject a proposal from the College, as the Council has the final say. To be able to manage effectively, the Council delegates many tasks to the College. These mainly concern decisions taken on the basis of an established policy, which therefore does not need to be debated by the Council.

The College meets once a week on Tuesdays. These meetings are not open to the public. All public decisions are announced through press releases and ' News from the College of Aldermen'. Decisions are available for inspection (by appointment) in the Public Information Centre.

The Mayor

The Mayor occupies a special position. He is not elected by the city's residents, but is appointed by the Monarchy. He chairs the City Council and the College of Alderman. He can vote in the College, but not in the full Council. The Mayor also has a portfolio with various responsibilities of his own. He is head of the police and responsible for maintaining public order in the city. To a large extent, he also represents Amsterdam to the outside world.

Council Committees

Most of the proposals that come before the City Council do not proceed there directly. First they are discussed by advisory committees, also known as Council Committees. These Committees are made up of members of the City Council (including the responsible Alderman) who specialise in a particular area of policy.

In Amsterdam there are seven of such committees, which usually meet every second week and are mostly open to the public. Other people aside Councillors can make their voices heard on the Committee, such as members of the public who have written a letter to the Council (known as a 'council address'). The smaller parties are sometimes represented on council committees by Associate Councillors. These are people who have not been elected to the City Council but were on the list of candidates of the political parties in question.