ABSTRACT
The main form of local authority in the Netherlands is the municipality. The entire national territory is divided into municipalities. Municipalities are considered to be the most decentralised form of Dutch government (although it is possible to decentralise within a municipality, see section 9.2.3). To a lesser extent, provinces can also be considered to be a form of local government. Provinces form an intermediate level of government between municipalities and the central State. In the Netherlands, provinces are regarded to be regional authorities. However, since the Netherlands is a small unitary state, this regional authority must not be mistaken for a form of (federal), far-removed, government. In some domains of government (e.g. environmental or child protection), citizens deal directly with the provinces. There are twelve provinces in the Netherlands. Each province comprises several municipalities. There are no municipalities that are not subject to a province. Municipalities and provinces are generally defined as forms of ‘territorial decentralisation’. This implies that the competences of these decentralised authorities are limited to territories smaller than the central State.
