I amsterdam - Neighbourhood Councils

First Initiatives
The neighbourhood councils are to the neighbourhoods what the city council is to Amsterdam. Amsterdam's first neighbourhoods were established in the early 1980s, when Amsterdam-Noord and Osdorp were given their own authority through extensive independent powers, their own budgets and team of civil servants.

The idea was that neighbourhood authorities such as these would contribute to more efficient and effective decision-making, their inhabitants would feel more involved in and connected to the local government.

The experiment in Amsterdam-Noord and Osdorp went well and, in the years, that followed the number of neighbourhood councils increased to sixteen. Fourteen of these have their own neighbourhood councils. The neighbourhood of Westpoort does not have its own neighbourhood council and is the responsibility of the central city government.

Tenure
The members of these fourteen neighbourhood councils are elected every four years by the voting residents of the neighbourhood in question. The number of seats on a neighbourhood council depends on the population of the neighbourhood and the chosen form of government.

Each sub-committee meets as a rule every four weeks in the relevant neighbourhood office. These meetings are open to the public.

Design
Like the central city government, a neighbourhood's daily administration involves a number of (district) councillors and a neighbourhood chairman. At first sight, a neighbourhood chairman appears similar to a mayor, but there are important differences: a neighbourhood chairman is not appointed by the Crown, but is elected by the neighbourhood council.

Further, a neighbourhood chairman has fewer powers than the Mayor, for example administration of the police. These powers rest with the Mayor.

Elections
The composition of the day-to-day administration varies from one neighbourhood to another: In eight of the neighbourhoods the members of the day-to-day administration are elected by and from the neighbourhood council. Once appointed, these day-to-day administrators remain members of the neighbourhood council, so they can still vote at neighbourhood council meetings.

Five other neighbourhoods operate a 'dualistic model': Under this system, the members of the day-to-day administration cease to belong to the neighbourhood council after being appointed. This is like the situation in central government, where members of the cabinet may not sit in the Lower House of parliament. Important features of dualism include the fact that members of the day-to-day administration may be drawn from outside the neighbourhood council, and that the day-to-day administration cannot vote on its own proposals.

Tasks and Responsibilities
The tasks and responsibilities of a neighbourhood council are to some extent similar to those of any local authority with a similar population. For example, a neighbourhood council is responsible for the management of public spaces - ensuring that refuse is collected, roads repaired on time, streets swept and parks, playing fields and cemeteries properly maintained.

Plans and Policies
A neighbourhood council also formulates development plans and to a large extent defines policies relating to the arts, sport, recreation and social issues. A sub-committee also has the financial resources to support certain policies with subsidies. Residents can apply to the neighbourhood office for virtually anything to do with registration (passports, driving licences, birth certificates etc.) or for permits (planning permission, tree-felling permits, catering licences etc.).

In the past, the city council handled these matters for the whole city, but now does so only for the one neighbourhood without a separate neighbourhood authority, namely Westpoort, the western harbour area of Amsterdam.