Controle als hoofdzaak

Control as the head task of the municipal council The article examines the position of the municipal council as the highest body within the municipality in the Netherlands, a status that has been enshrined in the Constitution since 1848. In practice, however, the board of mayor and aldermen often plays a more dominant role. The article analyses this tension between theory and practice by shedding light on the historical and constitutional context and presenting relevant scientific insights. Over the years, the municipal task has expanded and become more complex in many ways, which puts pressure on the position of the council. Despite the dualization in 2002, in which the council should (have to) be given a more independent role, the council still lags behind the board in terms of power. The article emphasizes that the council, as the only directly democratically legitimized body, must indeed remain in charge. The council can fulfil this leadership more valuably by monitoring more and better and viewing this as its primary task. Behind this monitoring primacy, the administrative, budgetary and regulatory primacy of the council then lie as pillars (or stick behind the door). This does not require more or better instruments, but a different approach and more appreciation for control within council work.