Van Well adds a comment. “Municipal politics is also political. It is impossible to do things that everyone likes. As a result, the opposition will always have a form of distrust.”
Research by the Court of Audit shows that some of the dissatisfied Noordenvelders are convinced that there is favoritism in their municipality. But according to Van Well, that knife can cut both ways. “If you have politicians who are mainly concerned with the interests of personal friends or local entrepreneurs, and that is at the expense of other residents, this can lead to distrust.”
But he also gives an example from The Hague, where this way of doing politics is appreciated by some. “In The Hague you have Hart voor Den Haag by Richard de Mos, who deals with issues of individuals, such as entrepreneurs. Some of his supporters think that is a good thing, but there is a risk of violations.”
According to Van Well, the chance of things going wrong is greater in local politics than in national politics. “That depends on the scale and also on the nature of the work. Their policy is often about concrete consequences for residents. Moreover, local politicians are not professionals. That has many advantages, but also vulnerabilities.”
One of the resources offered to local politicians is training, which, according to Van Well, the majority of politicians also participate in. These come from the municipality itself, but political parties also facilitate this.
RTV Drenthe reporter Hjalmar Guit made a report about the town hall of Noordenveld in Roden, which is awaiting a major renovation.
