news item | 09-26-2022 | 17:52
With the “Promoting Participation at a Decentralized Level” bill, Minister Bruins Slott for Interior and Kingdom Relations wants to enhance the participation of residents in preparing, implementing and evaluating the policy of their municipality, county, water board or state public body. Caribbean Netherlands. The right to appeal, as a specific form of participation, is legally well-established. With the Right to Challenge, residents can challenge their government to take on the performance of a task such as managing or maintaining a park or community center. The bill was submitted to Parliament today.
Expand the list of participation to include the organization of participation
Municipalities, prefectures, water boards and public bodies in Bonaire, Saba and Saint Eustatius already have a so-called “regulation of participation”: rules for how residents and other stakeholders can participate in the preparation of the policy. The Bruins Slot Bill also aims to involve residents in the implementation and evaluation of the policy. Then governments set rules for this in the Participation List. These rules explain to both residents and parliamentarians how participation is possible. There is scope for taking local needs and conditions into account.
Minister Bruins Sloot: “Our democracy begins in the community. It also means that space has to be given to initiative from the community. So it is really time to take a step towards innovation, stimulating opportunities for citizen participation and citizen initiatives. This law says that because governments will indicate in the regulation of private participation. them to how they want to shape the participation of the population, in addition to preparation, as well as in implementing and evaluating the policy.”
The right to appeal is provided for by law
With the right to appeal, residents can ask the government to take on the performance of a task, with or without the associated budget, because they believe they can perform that task better or more efficiently. When using the right of appeal, the government shows that it has entrusted the performance of a government task to a resident or a social body.
Minister Bruins Sloot: “There are already successful examples where residents or social parties have used the right of appeal. Last week I was in the municipality of Bodegraven-Reeuwijk, where real work on citizen participation is already underway. Residents showed me how they challenged the municipality to take over the management of the De Fuut pool. Thanks to the efforts of many volunteers, we have been able to keep the swimming pool open. Residents are also closely involved in the management of nature, including around Reeuwijkse Plassen. Through this law, we are promoting the participation of residents throughout the Netherlands.”
By stipulating in law the rules that can be set in the Participation Regulations about the right to appeal as a specific form of participation, it is emphasized that residents can challenge their government to take on the task of the municipality. When the right to challenge is used, the participation and ownership of residents and social parties in their immediate living environment is increased. This provides opportunities to improve the quality of policy and can lead to new forms of collaboration and social networking. In this way, the right to challenge contributes to building a resilient society.
Strengthening the Participation Law at the Decentralized Level (House of Representatives website)
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