Civic participation can be beneficial to both residents and municipalities and other public bodies. The European Commission reports that it can improve resource efficiency and build transparency, whilst fostering “inclusivity, ensuring that all voices are heard in decision-making processes. It builds public trust in government institutions by providing residents with the opportunity to directly influence decisions that affect their lives.”
However, there is evidence that many citizens do not engage in the democratic process. In the municipality elections in 2026, turnout stood at 53.75% of eligible voters. Nearly half of the electorate did not vote, despite the outcome having a direct bearing on their local areas.
This illustrates the reasons behind the introduction of a new civic participation law, Wet versterking participatie op decentraal niveau. Whereas, previously, participation was seen as more of a voluntary gesture to residents by municipalities, focused usually on the preparation of policy, the new law obliges the council to create a structured process to engage residents in the execution and evaluation of policy too.
This guide will help you understand what Wet versterking participatie op decentraal niveau will mean for your council and how you can prepare before the 1 January 2027 deadline for implementation.
Key takeaways
- Every Dutch municipality must adopt a participation ordinance by 1 January 2027 under the Wet versterking participatie op decentraal niveau.
- The new regulation replaces the consultation ordinance and extends citizen involvement from policy preparation to its execution and evaluation.
- The right to challenge must be codified in each municipality's regulation, giving residents the legal right to request to take over certain public tasks.
- The Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten (VNG) has published a model participatieverordening and implementation guide to support councils.
- Compliance requires changes to working processes, council culture and communication.
- Governance platforms and public portals play a practical role in making participation visible, traceable and consistent with other Dutch transparency obligations such as the Wet open overheid (Woo).
What the Wet versterking participatie op decentraal niveau requires
Under Wet versterking participatie op decentraal niveau, municipalities must:
- Adopt a participation ordinance. This sets out the structured manner with clear frameworks and rules, in which you will involve residents in preparing policy, executing that policy in the local area and monitoring its progress after implementation, evaluating its success. This is a shift from the current consultation ordinance, which focuses only on the policy planning stage, and provides transparency over the degree of influence citizens will have.
- Implement a right to challenge. This allows residents and social organisations to request to take over specific government tasks if they believe they can do it better, cheaper or more efficiently. You must specify the conditions and procedures for this right within your participation ordinance, including how you will handle requests and how you will transfer tasks, along with associated budgets.
- Show transparency. You must be transparent and predictable regarding participation processes. This means determining and communicating the following before a participation process begins:
- The goal: Why are citizens being asked to participate?
- The form: What methods or instruments will be used?
- The influence: How much weight will citizen input actually carry in the final decision?
In your participation ordinance, you must show:
- When you will use participation
- Who can participate
- What it looks like (for example, it could be holding surveys, inviting residents to meetings or engaging them online)
- The phases of each policy in which citizens can participate
- How you process input from the public and how you communicate outcomes
- How the right to challenge works.
You have until 1 January 2027 to implement these elements of the new law at a local level. Each municipality is responsible for creating its own participation policies, based on local requirements and characteristics.y is responsible for drawing up its own participation policy, based on the local situation and characteristics.
What the right to challenge means in practice
The right to challenge is a form of citizen participation that allows residents or social groups to request to take over the running of a public task from the municipality, province or water board.
If they feel they can carry out the task more effectively, efficiently and in a more cost-effective manner, residents and groups can execute their rights.
This might include:
- Park maintenance
- Managing a community centre
- Organising local transport
You should ensure you specify which areas are acceptable for challenge. For example, you might want to maintain internal control of specialised areas such as education and issuing official documents.
It is also your duty to determine the procedural criteria for handling and assessing a challenge from residents, which could include asking for proof of funds or analysing the challenger’s risk liability. You can also dictate how you fund projects that residents take over, such as whether you transfer the original budget or support it through subsidies.
What the VNG model regulation offers councils
De Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten (VNG) has created a model participation ordinance for members to consult when creating their own regulation. This means you do not have to draft it from scratch. Simply adapt it for your requirements, using the implementation guide for support.
It helps in the following ways:
- Flexibility, not a one-size-fits-all template
The model is designed so councils can choose what fits their local situation and can use the model either to create a new regulation or to strengthen an existing one. - Two variants to match different maturity levels
The model comes in two variants:
| Variant | Explanation |
| Variant 1 | Gives a solid baseline for how and when residents are involved in preparing, delivering and evaluating policy, including the right to challenge |
| Variant 2 | Goes further by adding goals and principles and by covering broader participation and support for resident-led initiatives |
You can start with variant 1 and move to the more advanced approach in time.
A reminder that a regulation is not the job done
The participation ordinance takes more than simply approving a document. You need to explore what residents really need, what fits the local way of working and what changes are required in your internal processes. Follow this with a plan to embed a “permanently different” way of working.
A way to benchmark progress
You can see which municipalities have already adopted a participation ordinance, helping you compare your progress and learn from others.
The governance and operational implications for councils
Wet versterking participatie op decentraal niveau requires a strong internal workflow between the council, the executive and administrative staff:
- The council agrees what citizen participation is required under the new ordinance and how you will measure success.
- The executive then takes this basis and builds it into project planning and communication.
- Administrative staff then create standard workflows to engage citizens, build templates for outreach and look after record-keeping to monitor the success of projects.
It is key to implement policies from the start that give fair access to the programmes for residents from all sections of society and to keep evidence of these measures, including how you reached decisions on which input from residents to use.
This requires a cultural shift in how you make decisions and monitor your projects so that residents can see what happened and trust the process even when they disagree with the outcome.
Connections to transparency and digital laws
This new law does not exist in isolation. You must also take into account your duties under:
- Woo: Wet open overheid
- Wdo: Wet digitale overheid
This means you need participation processes that are publicly documented and traceable, including clear decision records and accessible supporting documents. An integrated digital governance approach makes it easier to keep an audit trail and publish the right information straight away to increase transparency and accountability.
Practical steps councils should take before 1 January 2027
- Review your existing consultation ordinance and identify what you need to change and add to it to become compliant with the new law.
- Consult the VNG model participation ordinance and implementation guide to create a truly engaging process for encouraging participation and understanding how to incorporate that into policy making.
- Decide which policy areas will be covered by the right to challenge and on what terms. Also, ringfence areas where it would not be appropriate for citizens to take over.
- Involve councillors, the executive board and administrators in shaping the approach to ensure you are all working in a consistent manner towards a shared goal.
- Engage residents and community organisations in the process of designing the regulation itself to understand what they expect and how they are most likely to want to participate on an ongoing basis.
- Assess what digital tools are needed to structure your participation and engagement processes in a manner that is visible to the largest possible number of residents. Utilising your public portal is the most transparent way to achieve this, so make sure you have a streamlined workflow to make your important documents and information public.
- Adopt the final regulation by council vote before the 1 January 2027 deadline.
FAQ
What is the participation ordinance and why is it required?
It is a formal council regulation that sets out how residents are involved in the preparation, execution and evaluation of municipal policy.
When is the deadline for Dutch councils to comply?
Councils have until 1 January 2027 to adopt a participation ordinance. The two-year transition period began when the law entered into force on 1 January 2025.
Does the participation ordinance apply to all policy areas?
The regulation covers all policy areas and is broader in scope than the previous consultation ordinance, which focused primarily on the physical environment under the Omgevingswet (Environmental and Planning Act). It applies across the council's full range of activities.
What support is available to councils?
The VNG has developed a model participation ordinance, an accompanying implementation guide and a map showing which municipalities have already adopted a regulation. The VNG also offers to visit council chambers to provide guidance on implementation.
How does the participation ordinance relate to other Dutch transparency laws?
It sits alongside the Wet open overheid (Woo) and the Wet digitale overheid (Wdo). Together, these laws require councils to actively publish governance information and conduct processes digitally, making it important that you document participation and make it publicly accessible in a structured manner.
Conclusion
The introduction of Wet versterking participatie op decentraal niveau means that municipalities must structure their policymaking around public participation. Not only should you ask for opinions on what needs changing, but you should also consult citizens on how to do so and have them monitor the success of these projects. This requires a robust engagement strategy that you must run at all times, being transparent with your work so that residents can see what is happening, can understand why it is happening and can even intervene where community groups can operate a service in a more efficient and effective way. Your public portal is an essential tool for allowing public access to the workings of the municipality and encouraging interactions that help you build better services.
Boost citizen participation with iBabs
iBabs Publish, part of the iBabs governance ecosystem, allows for streamlined document sharing that gives citizens the access they need to take part in the participatory process.
References and further reading
- How to Improve Local Government Transparency
- Government Digital Transformation: How Does It Affect Governance in Public Bodies?
- Why Citizen Engagement is Essential for Local Governments
- Municipalities with a participatieverordening mapped — VNG
- Participation and the Omgevingswet: guidance for councils — VNG
- Wet versterking participatie op decentraal niveau enters into force — Nederlandse Vereniging voor Raadsleden
