The Hague Municipal Council

The Hague Municipal Council represents the population of The Hague. The council is the highest administrative authority and is therefore the ‘boss’ of the municipality. The municipal council and the municipal executive together form the municipal government.

The Hague Municipal Council has 45 members from 13 different political parties. Members of the municipal council are elected by the population of The Hague every 4 years. The municipal council lays down the main principles of municipal policy and checks whether the municipal executive is carrying out the policy satisfactorily. The municipal executive is responsible for the day-to-day management of the municipality. In order to perform its duties, the municipal council has a number of Begin link: resources at its disposal, end link. (in Dutch). The municipality can carry out major plans (for example, in the areas of spatial planning, the economy, welfare and traffic) only if a majority of the council votes in favour. The municipal council also decides how the money will be spent.

Video

Who decides on what The Hague will look like in the future? Who are the members of the municipal council? And what do they do? And how can I bring their attention to my ideas? Watch the video below on how the municipal council works and how you can get involved.

Watch the video How does the municipal council work? (YouTube channel of the municipality)(External link)

Council meetings

The municipal council meets once every 3 weeks on Thursday in the Council Chamber in City Hall. The meetings are open to the public. Residents of The Hague and interest groups can speak about a subject on the agenda at the start of the meeting. The municipal council meetings and council committee meeting Begin link: can be seen live online and can be viewed later., end link.

Presidium

The Begin link: presidium, end link. is a delegation of 5 members of the municipal council. They prepare the agenda of the municipal council and determine when the municipal council will discuss certain subjects. The presidium manages the municipal clerk’s office on behalf of the municipal council.

Chair of the council

The mayor is chair of both the municipal executive and the municipal council. The mayor is appointed for a period of 6 years.

List of decisions

The municipal clerk’s office keeps a list of the decisions/resolutions taken at every council meeting. The list describes the decision taken by the municipal council on the subjects on the agenda. The list of decisions can be found by the relevant Begin external link: meeting (External link), end external link.under the heading ‘Agendadocumenten’.

Contact

There are different ways to Begin link: contact the municipal council, end link. .

Social media

Are you curious about what the municipal council does? Follow the council on Begin external link: Facebook(External link), end external link., Begin external link: X(External link), end external link. and Begin external link: Instagram(External link), end external link..