Maastricht had several adviesraden (advisory councils) in the past, but almost all of them were cut by the stadsbestuur (city board) in 2020. Now they are back with one council that will give advice on various topics.

The advisory council is independent of the gemeente (municipality), but appointed by the city board.

There are currently 10 people on the advisory council, each representing their own theme: the elderly, young people, diversity and inclusion and people who come into contact with Wet maatschappelijke ondersteuning, WMO (Social Support Act). The WMO arranges for people to receive support if they can no longer manage in and around the house, they can no longer participate in social activities or if living in a safe or protected environment is required.

The intention is that the advisory council will give both solicited and unsolicited advice to the city board.

There are still some vacant seats on the advisory council, residents with a good knowledge of Dutch are encouraged to apply.

Read the original article in Dutch