Hillegom and Lisse develop new municipal participation ordinances

The Dutch municipalities of Hillegom and Lisse are developing new participation ordinances to comply with national legislation requiring all municipalities to have such regulations by January 1, 2027.

These ordinances will replace existing consultation regulations and officially codify agreements regarding how the municipalities involve residents, entrepreneurs, and social organizations in the creation, implementation, and evaluation of policy. This framework aims to allow stakeholders to contribute ideas and concerns at an early stage of the decision-making process.

A key feature of the new regulations is the ‘right to challenge’ (uitdaagrecht). This allows residents and social organizations to propose taking over specific municipal tasks themselves, provided they can demonstrate they can perform the task at least as well as or better than the municipality, subject to certain conditions.

In Hillegom, the municipal council is scheduled to discuss the proposal on October 1, with a final decision expected on October 15. In Lisse, the council will discuss the proposal on October 14, with a final decision slated for October 29.