Becoming a municipal councilor in Zoetermeer: ​​you earn this

Municipal elections are just around the corner. Then you can vote for who you would like to see in the city council of Zoetermeer. But what does a Zoetermeer councilor actually earn?

Councilors receive a monthly allowance for the work they do. The amount of this allowance depends on the number of inhabitants of the municipality in which they work.

Big or small cities

Newly elected councilors can earn at least €1,081 per month this year. In the largest municipalities, this amount rises to about 2,650 euros per month, according to an analysis by data platform LocalFocus and press agency ANP based on data from the statistics agency CBS and the Dutch Association for Council members. Below you can see the distribution between the size of a municipality and the earnings of a councilor.

• In municipalities with a population of between 40,000 and 60,000, councilors will earn slightly more than 1,400 euros.
• In municipalities with more than 60,000 inhabitants, but no more than 100,000 inhabitants, the councilors receive an allowance of almost 1,650 euros.
• In municipalities with a population of between 100,000 and 150,000 inhabitants, councilors earn a lot more: about 1,870 euros.
• In municipalities with a population of between 150,000 and 375,000, the amount is again higher at around 2,175 euros.
• The highest compensation is for councilors in The Hague, Rotterdam and Amsterdam: they receive a fixed compensation of about 2,650 euros per month.

A councilor in Zoetermeer deserves this

But what does a councilor earn in Zoetermeer? About 125,000 inhabitants live in Zoetermeer, which means that a Zoetermeer councilor receives 1,870 euros per month. You can’t get by on that amount, except in the three major cities, so the councilors often have a job on the side. “Being a councilor is something you usually do next to your job”,writes the Dutch Association for Council members.“Working during the day, meeting in the evenings and on your day off on a course or working visit.”

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