Elections for the provincial councils
Provincial government websites
What does the province do?
The Netherlands consists of 12 provinces. The provinces form the link between the municipalities and the state. In other words, they deal with issues which are too substantial for the boroughs and not substantial enough for the state to take on.
The members of the provincial councils are elected directly once every four years. Last year, just over 46% of the electorate turned out to vote.
The size of a provincial council ranges from 39 members for a province with less than 400,000 inhabitants (Flevoland and Zeeland) to 55 members for a province with more than 2,000,000 inhabitants (Noord-Holland and Noord-Brabant). In total, 564 seats are up for grabs.
The provinces often co-operate with other governmental authorities (state, local councils, water boards) and with businesses and social organisations. One of the most important provincial responsibilities is environmental planning. The province determines if cities and villages are allowed to expand, where industrial estates and business parks can be built.
Many people do not know that the province is also responsible for the accessibility of cities, villages and the countryside. Examples of this are the regional buses and regional taxis. Furthermore, the province motivates the people to spend more time outdoors by developing natural parks, cycle routes and by subsidising cultural activities such as music festivals and exhibitions. Read More
The 12 Dutch provinces:
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