Municipal elections will be held on March 16. After these elections, a new council will be formed. But what will the future councilors in your municipality actually earn? And how is it possible that some councilors take just next to a few hundred euros extra?
The new councilors who are elected receive a fixed monthly allowance for their work. It is usually not enough to make ends meet, which is why many councilors also have other jobs.
The amount of the monthly allowance depends on the number of inhabitants of the municipality in which the councilor works.
- In the small municipalities of up to 40,000 inhabitants, councilors earn about 1080 euros per month.
- In municipalities with 40,000 to 60,000 inhabitants, councilors receive a much higher compensation of just over 1,400 euros per month.
- In municipalities with 60,000 to 100,000 inhabitants, councilors earn a little more; 1645 euros per month.
- In larger municipalities with 100,000 to 150,000 inhabitants, councilors receive an amount of about 1,870 euros per month.
- In municipalities with more than 150,000 to 375,000 inhabitants, the compensation is considerably higher and councilors earn 2175 euros.
- In municipalities with more than 375,000 inhabitants, councilors earn 2650 euros per month, but that does not occur in Brabant.
The map shows what councilors in your municipality earn if they come to the city council after the elections.
Just enough inhabitants
Some municipalities are short of a few thousand inhabitants and as a result councilors miss out on a higher compensation. For example, councilors in Moerdijk are short of 2815 inhabitants to earn 1645 euros per month instead of 1400 euros. And in the municipalities of Altena and Oosterhout they are just under 4000 inhabitants short of earning 1645 euros per month instead of 1400 euros.
In Geldrop-Mierlo, the new councilors are just lucky. Geldrop-Mierlo has 40,066 inhabitants, just 66 inhabitants enough to earn 1400 euros per month instead of 1080 euros.