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11/1 Jurists want to stay in Oudemanhuispoort

8/2 Mayor’s portrait

8/2 Websites for social cohesion

7/2 Spreading tourism proceeds with difficulty

7/2 GroenLinks on districts: Be a man

6/2 Zuideramstel opens new office on Sabbath

5/2 The truth about integration

4/2 Wilders has little support on Amsterdam

3/2 Elite involved in neighbourhood

2/2 Johnnie Walker avoids taxes in Amsterdam

1/2 Rotterdam to tinker with district councils as well

31/1 Wooden rowing boats to disappear from Amstel

31/1 ZeeburgTV launched

27/1 Privacy activists to mess up loyalty card system

27/1 A few were still coughing, but that was an act

27/1 Chrisis in de Baarsjes

26/1 Youth have positive view of districts

24/1 Action groups call for Carmel and Jaffa boycott

24/1 PvdA members dismiss plan for districts

23/1 KLM takes on crisis with new uniform

23/1 District office not squatted

21/1 Merge districts

20/1 Closing squat bar Vrankrijk not necessary

20/1 Cleaners welcome new Schiphol director

18/1 Palestine at the Jewish Historical Museum

18/1 What is the right size for a district?

17/1 PvdA Oost against fewer districts

16/1 Committee: 7 districts by 2010

15/1 Soldiers may attend Afghanistan debate after all

15/1 Bait bike leads to arrest

14/1 Youth for Christ to republish vacancies

13/1 Paintings of the Zuidas

13/1 New Youth for Christ contoversy

11/1 Social cohesion initiative raises eyebrows

10/1 Fewer districts in 2010

10/1 Zuidas: People feel that we are losers

9/1 Fun on the ice - but not for all

9/1 Supermarket coupon fraud thwarted

9/1 I Amsterdam must remain exclusive

8/1 Use term Apartheid in every discussion

8/1 No city kiosk in Amsterdam yet

7/1 Snow

7/1 Fatima Elatik to run Zeeburg

7/1 Municipal managers to return to shop floor

4/1 Police: take photo of strange people

3/1 Gaza protest criticises politicians

1/1 Thousands to protest against attacks on Gaza

1/1 Mustapha Laboui leaves district council

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Advice on district system

13 December 2008 – Last week, the Mertens Committee, which is to issue an advice on Amsterdam’s administrative system in January, presented its preliminary findings. Districts need to have at least 80,000 residents and fewer politicians, it suggested. A summary.

In addition to a central government and city council, Amsterdam has fourteen districts and district councils. In sum, almost sixty administrators and 367 elected council members. A committee headed by Rabobank director Bert Mertens is to advice the city on restructuring its administration. Last week, Mertens presented his preliminary findings in a speech to local politicians.

Uniformity: There should be uniformity across Amsterdam regarding issues such as income support, permits and bye-laws.

Flexible division of tasks: A council should be set up to regularly review the division of tasks between city and districts. Tasks that require the development of new policies should be the responsibility of the city. Mertens did not comment on suggestions to devolve the welfare agency and home care to the districts.

Larger districts: Although the committee acknowledges that smaller districts tend to be evaluated more positively by their residents, it states that ‘robust’ districts need to have at least 80,000 residents. Currently, only Noord, Centrum and Oud-Zuid have as many residents, while Zuidoost comes close. Mertens did not yet indicate whether the reorganisation should take place in 2010 or 2014.

City in charge: The city should lift the ‘taboo’ on using its powers to interfere in district policies.

Fewer politicians: The maximum number of district council members should be limited to 25 (now 29) and the maximum number of district administrators to four (now five). According to the committee, parties now have difficulties recruiting candidates, although it recognises that lowering the number of council members will raise the threshold for small parties. The committee also recommends to seek national legislation to limit the number of politicians at city level.

Mertens’ speech (at the NRC Handelsblad website, pdf). Photo BMA.

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