The Netherlands goes to the polls to vote for 342 local councils on March 18 and Dutch News is focusing on the campaigns in 10 towns and cities where most internationals live. Here is what has been happening in Leiden.

As Leideners consider which party to support in this year’s municipal elections, the city seems like it’s bursting at the seams. “Housing” is the word most often uttered by candidates and their supporters from the 11 parties eager to gain control of Sleutelstad.

As with pretty much every other community in the urban central belt of the Netherlands, there isn’t enough housing to go around. Meanwhile, Leiden University students are increasingly getting shoved out of houses in the city centre so their landlords can fix them up and sell them in a real estate market that continues to soar.

Overall, liveability is the primary concern of both long-time Leideners and recently arrived internationals as the city faces what at least seems like a never-ending wave of new residents, tourists, and even film and TV productions eager to cut costs by shooting there instead of Amsterdam.

Cafes and terraces also continue to do battle with neighbours determined to get a good night’s sleep as the city’s leaders debate whether or not to further bolster the cultural sector and somehow boost attendance at Leiden museums. 

And no seems to agree on what should be done with car traffic and parking. A project currently in the works would tear up a major intersection and convert it into a canal. Streets are continually being closed to motor vehicle traffic, much to chagrin of businesses that say they’re dependent on customers who drive in from outside the centre.

These are just some of the issues the city’s next round of elected officials will be up against. Many of them will be fresh faces as well. Seven in 10 of the candidates vying for spots on Leiden’s council are newcomers

• What you need to know about the local elections on March 18
• A quick guide to the biggest political parties

“We find it important to strike that perfect balance between a lively city and a liveable one,” says Alexander Molendijk, a spokesperson from the GroenLinks-PvdA alliance. “We want to promote tourism that fits Leiden — small-scale, sustainable, and well spread over different parts of the city. We also want to review the tourism tax.”

He also voiced his party’s support for keeping the city international and helping refugees with decent accommodation and economic opportunities.

D66’s Pim Meijer said his party wants to make Leiden both upbeat and bearable for residents. One solution they’re offering for the housing crisis is to add 10 neighbourhoods in the region. They’re also continuing to advocate for the further reduction of automobiles from streets in the middle of town.

“We are reducing car traffic in the city centre,” he said. “Together with residents, professionals, and entrepreneurs, we are creating loading and unloading areas. We will use the resulting space to green the city with parks, trees, benches, and play areas for children.”

Stefan Haas from the Socialist Party said his party is trying to keep Leiden affordable, safe, and appealing for everyone. However, they are worried about overtourism.

“We see that tourism puts pressure on the quality of life, especially during peak periods,” he said. “This causes rents in the city to rise for everyone. The SP has repeatedly proposed raising the tourist tax to ensure that tourists contribute fairly to keeping Leiden attractive.”

The countdown to election day

Campaigners have been out in force in Leiden in recent weeks, all of them eager to boast their party can limit Leiden’s growing pains. It’s been impossible to navigate the crowds at the twice weekly market along the Nieuwe Rijn without being handed political flyers.

But their efforts haven’t been limited to conventional canvassing and knocking on doors. A small army of volunteers from GroenLinks-PvdA were spotted collecting trash around the centre on a recent Sunday afternoon. Members of the SVP, the local student party, opted to construct a makeshift dorm room out of 350 beer crates beside the Stadhuis to draw attention to their housing concerns.

Local officials continue to drag their feet on providing election information or events in English. “Most of the communication is simply in Dutch, as we always do,” city spokesperson André Vanhaelen said. “We don’t choose to use other languages, because the party platforms aren’t communicated in foreign languages ​​either.”

But he did note there is an English overview about Leiden’s new ballots available online that’s also provided in Turkish and Arabic. The ballots will be smaller than ones used in prior elections and apparently more ‘user friendly.’

Leiden key information

Current council executive: PvdA, GroenLinks, CDA, D66
How many seats on the council: 39
Total number of voters: 106,055
Number of international voters: 11,123

Local election information in English:
Rundown on the revised ballot for this election (also available in Turkish and Arabic).

MijnStem, a website with an English option that asks users to agree or disagree with various political statements to help them determine a suitable party for them to support. 

Seven of the 11 parties have online information available in English.
GroenLinks–PvdA
Studenten voor Leiden
CDA (general manifesto, not specific to Leiden)
D66
SP (general information, not specific to Leiden)
ChristenUnie (general information, not specific to Leiden)
Partij voor de Dieren (general information along with a Leiden-specific Instagram account that contains a few posts with English translations below the Dutch captions)
Volt (their English information focuses on Amsterdam)

Election events for internationals
An election edition of ‘Meet & Mingle’, a monthly English language gathering hosted by the Leiden International Centre. It will take place in the foyer of the Leiden town hall on March 12 from 6pm to 8pm