Heavy workload: One in seven municipal councilors quit before their term is up
Fifteen percent of municipal councilors have left local politics during this council period, citing an overwhelming workload, according to figures from Staat van het Bestuur, analyzed by NOS. Another 12 percent resigned their council membership after taking another position within the municipal administration.
Most departing councilors left around the midpoint of their four-year term, with nearly half citing “personal motives” such as conflicts with other work, family responsibilities, or health issues.
Of the nearly 8,500 councilors elected in 2022, more than 1,250 have now left local politics. About 1,000 others have become aldermen or mayors.
“Very worrying,” said Abdullah Uysal, chairman of the Dutch Association for Councilors. “That so many councilors resign because they cannot combine the role with their job or other personal circumstances contradicts the core of being a councilor. The position is meant to be a secondary role so that councilors remain connected to society. If that does not work, it is harmful to the office and our local democracy.”
Since this is the first time these figures have been studied in such detail, it is unclear whether more or fewer councilors have left compared with previous periods. Councilors now have less experience on average: the proportion with more than one term of experience fell from around 40 percent in 2018 to 30 percent in 2022.
The Association of Councilors notes that students and retirees still make up the bulk of those able to commit time to council work. Uysal said it is unfortunate that citizens with full-time jobs or families are dropping out. “We should reflect society as much as possible, especially since people increasingly do not see themselves represented in politics.”
Staat van het Bestuur is a project by research institute INVIOR Full Contact on behalf of the Ministry of the Interior. Researchers examined councilor outflow from the 2022 municipal elections through October 1, 2025.
