Ameland is an independent municipality in the province of Friesland with approximately 3674 inhabitants (2019) and a 170-fold number of tourists visiting the island annually. In the Wadden Islands partnership, Ameland works together with Vlieland, Ameland, Schiermonnikoog, Terschelling and Texel. Previously this was called the VASTT connection. Ameland has four villages and a hamlet, kilometers of beach and many kilometers of cycle path. The island is surrounded by the Wadden Sea and the North Sea. The Wadden Sea is the waterway to the mainland: the ferry sails from Nes to Holwerd. The town hall of Ameland is in Ballum.
Source: Bouwe Brouwer, Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Municipality of Ameland
- Municipal council of the Wadden island of Ameland
- The Mayor and City Counsel Members
- Municipal council 2010
- City Hall
- Municipal elections 2014
- 2014 election results
- Municipal council 2014
- Coalition building
- Renewal of Amelander’s political structure
- Period 2014-2018
- Aldermen
- Portfolios 2014
- New college in May 2017
- New council again in January 2018
- Elections 2018
Municipal council of the Wadden island of Ameland
Ameland has four villages and a hamlet: Hollum, Ballum, Nes, Buren and Kooiplaats.
The municipal government is formed by three layers of government:
- the major;
- the mayor and aldermen;
- city Council.
The Mayor and City Counsel Members
The mayor and aldermen are responsible for the implementation of the policy established by the municipal council. Each board member has portfolios and is responsible for part of the board work. The council has recorded in the council program how it intends to implement the policy established by the council.
Source: Ameland Press Agency
Mayor De Hoop
Mayor Albert de Hoop, reappointed in 2012 for a second term , is from D66. He is mayor of Ameland until July 2018.
E-mail: [email protected]
Tasks:
- Public order and safety
- General and administrative matters
- Representation of Eilander College and Wadden Sea Affairs
- International cooperation
- Media policy, information and communication
- Civil Affairs
- Finance and taxes
- Education
- Municipal organization
- Human Resources
- Additional activities
Councilor Bakema
Will Bakema is alderman of Ameland82 house, alderman from March 2010 to March 2014.
E-mail: [email protected]
Alderman Old
Nico Oud is a councilor from the CDA party, councilor from March 2010 to March 2014.
E-mail: [email protected]
Secretary
The secretary supports the council and is the head of the official organization.
Until January 2011 that is Bjørn van den Brink. After him, Hans van Huffelen will come until October 2014. Jan Wibier will take over the work until January 2017. From then on, Marloes van Rijswijk will be secretary of the municipality. She will only stay for a short time and from October 1, 2018, Febo Perdok will take over the position temporarily until mid-May 2019 when Iwan Valk becomes the new secretary-director.
Municipal council 2010
The Ameland municipal council consists of 11 members. The municipal council is the representative body of the municipal government and supervisory body. After the 2010 municipal elections, a coalition was formed by Ameland82 and CDA. An alderman was elected from both parties and both Ameland82 and CDA have three councilors in the municipal council. For Ameland’82 these are:
- Dirk Brouwer
- Jeppe Groenewold
- Rudolf Teuben
For the CDA these are:
- Bert Cordes
- Jeroen de Jong
- Theo Faber
The council is further formed by members of the General Interest Ameland, PvdA and the VVD.
General Interest Ameland
- Jan Wijnberg
- Piet IJnsen
PvdA
- Tineke Hemminga and from 1-1-2012 Irma Marinus
- Tonnie Overdiep
VVD
- Jan Verbiest
Registry
The municipal council is supported and advised by the clerk. At the time of the 2014 elections, this was Jacqueline Metz. The registry is independent, but works closely with the council and secretary and uses municipal services.
City Hall
The town hall in Ballum can be visited on working days from
- 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM
- 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM
visiting address
- Jelmeraweg 1
- 9162 EA Ballum
Mailing address
Municipality of Ameland
- PO Box 22
- 9160 AA Hollum
Contact details
- Tel. (0519) 555 555
- Fax machine. (0519) 555 599
- E-mail: [email protected]
- Website: www.ameland.nl
Departments and counters
The municipal officials support the municipal government. They prepare and implement decisions. The organization is divided into four departments, with the secretary as head.
- Department of Resources
- Policy and Implementation Department
- Department of Permits and Supervision
- Department of Welfare
Transfer station
The municipality has a transfer station within its boundaries where garden waste, bulky household waste and chemical waste can be dumped.
- Connecting road 31
- 9162 EW Ballum
- Tel. (0519) 542 822
Municipal works
- Reeweg 4
- 9162 ED Ballum
- Tel. (0519) 555 555
Art Month Ameland
The town hall is one of the locations where art hangs during Art Month Ameland, the entire month of November. In the hall and corridors of the town hall there is a permanent display of changing exhibitions or work owned by the municipality . During the Art Month, the exhibition areas are redesigned especially for this purpose.
Municipal elections 2014
Municipal elections will take place in almost all municipalities in the Netherlands on March 19, 2014. Also on Ameland. The political arena is populated by (in alphabetical order):
- Public Interest Ameland (List 3)
- Ameland’82 (List 2)
- Collective Labor Agreement party (List 6)
- CDA department Ameland (List 1)
- PvdA department Ameland (List 4)
- VVD department Ameland (List 5)
New party
Ameland’82, Algeme en Belang Ameland, CDA department Ameland, PvdA department Ameland and VVD department Ameland have been participating in the municipal elections for many years. The CAO party is a new star in the firmament. The leader Albert Huizeling has a PVV history. The PVV is participating in the municipal elections in only a few municipalities in 2014, not on Ameland. Huizeling formed his own group and called it the CAO party, Christian Labor Entrepreneurial Party.
2014 election results
On March 19, 2014, 2,226 votes were cast on Ameland from the 2,776 voters called. The turnout is one of the highest in the country at 80.18%. Nine votes are invalid.
| Side | Total | Ballum | Neighbors | Hollum | Nes | Seats |
| CDA | 530 | 41 | 177 | 149 | 163 | 3 |
| A’82 | 604 | 75 | 176 | 81 | 272 | 3 |
| ABA | 604 | 58 | 29 | 473 | 44 | 3 |
| PvdA | 258 | 37 | 25 | 94 | 102 | 1 |
| VVD | 181 | 58 | 19 | 38 | 66 | 1 |
| COA party | 40 | 2 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 0 |
Municipal council 2014
The distribution of seats in the Ameland municipal council has changed slightly compared to 2010. The following council members sit on the council after the aldermen have been sworn in:
Source: Municipality of Ameland
Ameland’82
- Dirk Brouwer
- Rudolf Teuben
- Jeppe Groenewold
General Interest Ameland
- Piet IJnsen
- Jan Wijnberg
- Gatso Lamsma
CDA Ameland
- Jeroen de Jong
- Theo Faber
- (vacant)
PvdA
- Irma Marinus
VVD
- André Tuil
Coalition building
The coalition discussions in the spring of 2014 are extremely difficult. Candidate councilor Bert Cordes commits political suicide through a column and letter with compromising information about fellow politicians and Theo Faber also leaves island politics. As of May 31, 2014, coalition discussions are still ongoing.
White smoke
On June 12, 2014, the municipality of Ameland reported that the formation of a new coalition had been successful. Ameland82, CDA and VVD reached an agreement that evening. Three councilors are appointed. Will Bakema will take office for Ameland82 (he will resign on April 3, 2017), for the CDA Ameland Nico Oud will become alderman again (due to the formation of a new council, he will no longer be alderman on May 30, 2017) and for the VVD, Linda van will der Deen (she is no longer an alderman due to the formation of a new council as of May 30, 2017). The swearing-in took place during the council meeting of June 30, 2014.
Renewal of Amelander’s political structure
The three coalition parties want a renewal in the Amelander political structure. A number of points compete for priority:
- transparent management culture;
- increasing the involvement of young people in the political process;
- renewing the future of Ameland;
- improving the relationship between the board and council;
- promoting a proactive attitude among executive and council members.
Period 2014-2018
listed a number of points for the period 2014-2018 . In addition to the projects, which can only go ahead if money is made available for them, the municipality is dealing with a number of important developments that have a major impact on island society:
- the effects of the decentralizations of the social domain;
- the (after)effects of the economic crisis;
- the need for administrative innovation in relation to resident participation;
- remain an independent and fully-fledged municipality.
The plans that the council would like to realize are:
- Construction of Ameland Solar Park;
- Upgrading the marina in Nes;
- Replacement nursing care center Hollum;
- Wellness center Nes;
- Expansion of Hollum golf course to an 18-hole course;
- Phased reconstruction of the Hollum-Buren connecting road;
- Reconstruction village of Nes;
- Construction of a separate cycle path Buren-Kooiplaats.
Aldermen
On June 30, 2014, the new aldermen will be sworn in, along with three new council members. Nico Oud (CDA), Will Bakema (A’82) and Linda van der Deen (VVD) will take office as aldermen. In the same meeting, councilors Dirk Beijaard (CDA), Jeppe Groenewold (A’82) and Marieke van Schaijk-Ketelaars (CDA) are sworn in.
The coalition parties are :
Ameland’82
- Dirk Brouwer
- Rudolf Teuben
- Jeppe Groenewold
CDA Ameland
- Jeroen de Jong
- Birk Beijaard
- Marieke van Schaijk-Ketelaars
VVD
- André Tuil
The other council members are:
General Interest Ameland
- Piet IJnsen
- Jan Wijnberg
- Gatso Lamsma/ April 2016 Alice de Jong – Gransbergen
PvdA
- Irma Marinus
Declaration
There are various salient details about the elections, the results and the formation. One of the most far-reaching concerns a report by Mayor Albert de Hoop about the recruitment of votes by a member of Algemeen Belang Ameland. These are two votes that would have been of decisive importance in the election results. The two allegedly canvassed ballots were not used during the election on March 19, 2014. In August 2014, after a months-long investigation, it became clear that there was no canvassing and that the accusation was unfounded. In fact, Algemeen Belang Ameland has been robbed of two votes and the election win due to this mistake.
Portfolios 2014
The portfolio allocation of the Amelander College will be announced on August 18, 2014.
Mayor Albert de Hoop
- Public order and safety
- General and administrative matters
- Representation of Eilander College and Wadden Sea Affairs
- International cooperation
- Information and communication
- Human resources and organization
- Finances
- Education
- Archive matters
Councilor Will Bakema
- First Deputy Mayor
- Portfolio holder Economic Affairs and Tourism Wadden Islands
- Quality assurance of municipal processes
- Legal Affairs
- European legislation
- Private law matters
- Fundamentals
- Economics
- Tourism and recreation
- Catering and accommodation tourism policy
- Retail businesses
- Agricultural affairs
- Regional Agenda and Wadden Islands Area Platform
- Nature Policy and Management Plan Nature 2000
- Spatial plans and structural visions
Will Bakema, Linda van der Deen and Nico Oud / Source: Municipality of Ameland
Councilor Nico Oud
- Second Deputy Mayor
- Portfolio holder VROM and Sustainability Wadden Islands
- Building and house supervision
- Environmental permits
- Public Housing and Housing Company
- Urban and village renewal
- Monument preservation and archaeology
- Waste and environment
- Sustainability
- Sports and Culture
- Public Works
- Traffic and transport
- Coastal protection
- Water board affairs and water management
- Social affairs/social domain
- Participation Act
- Youth Services
- Area-oriented work
- Public health
Councilor Linda van der Deen
- Third Deputy Mayor
- Social affairs/social domain
- Elderly care
- WMO
Resignation
On April 3, 2017, Alderman Will Bakema will submit his resignation. A Motion of Distrust was ready, but Bakema resigned himself. He stumbles over an issue surrounding four municipal homes that were partly built on the neighbor’s property. Communication around the project was weak and the city council felt not taken seriously. A majority of the council had wanted to support the Motion of No Confidence.
New college in May 2017
In May 2017, a new council was formed by Ameland’82 and Algemeen Belang Ameland, after the information provided by the chairmen of VVD and CDA failed. Piet IJnsen of General Interest Ameland and Peter Pot become aldermen. Pot is put forward by Ameland’82. He’s from the mainland. The two will be sworn in on May 30, 2017.
New council again in January 2018
At the beginning of 2018, there was renewed disagreement in the council, resulting in the loss of a council. Ameland’82 no longer has confidence in coalition partner Algemeen Belang Ameland, because one of the faction members is switching to the CDA. Alice de Jong-Gransbergen will remain on the council for ABA until the municipal elections of March 21, 2018, but is campaigning for the CDA and is number three on the CDA electoral list. The new council that governs the island for the few months between mid-January and the end of March consists of a CDA councilor (Joop Lodewijks) and an ABA councilor (Piet IJnsen).
Acting mayor Gerard van Klaveren / Source: Ameland Press Agency
Elections 2018
On March 21, 2018, municipal elections were held again and the cards were shuffled. A political earthquake occurred on the island. A new party, AmelandEen, seized power by storming into the council with five candidates. The newcomer immediately delivered the councilor.
New college in 2018
AmelandEén is forming a new council together with PvdA. Theo Faber of AmelandEén becomes alderman, together with Ellen Bruins Slot, who brings the PvdA from the mainland to the island. Mayor Albert de Hoop will say goodbye in July 2018 and Gerard van Klaveren will take over as acting mayor.
The opposition includes Algemeen Belang Ameland, CDA and VVD.
The 2018 results per village
| Side | Total | Ballum | Neighbors | Hollum | Nes | Seats |
| ABA | 475 | 42 | 21 | 367 | 45 | 2 |
| A’82 | 187 | 15 | 62 | 14 | 96 | 1 |
| CDA | 291 | 29 | 121 | 42 | 99 | 1 |
| PvdA | 204 | 32 | 12 | 89 | 71 | 1 |
| VVD | 173 | 35 | 37 | 33 | 68 | 1 |
| AmelandOne | 998 | 161 | 177 | 323 | 337 | 5 |
Ameland
Legend
A . Hollum
B . Ballum
C . Nes
D . Neighbors
E . Kooiplaats
F . City Hall
read more
- Former mayor of Ameland: Albert de Hoop
- Flag and coat of arms of Wadden Island Ameland
- Family portrait of Jan Kruis – Royal family
- Gentlemen of Ameland and Christa Van Cammingha