Organisation of the administration
The current 68 munipalities are in many cases the result of an ongoing process of mergers and fusions of several smaller villages that have been independent in the past. The five larger cities in the heart of the province - Breda, Eindhoven, Helmond, 's-Hertogenbosch and Tilburg - form the second urban network of the Netherlands: BrabantStad.
The Provincial Council
The 55 Provincial Council members are directly elected every four years by the general population. Provincial Council members determine within which structures the Provincial Executive governs the province and whether this is done properly. This is one of many ways in which voters can influence the province’s policy.
About once a month the Provincial Executive meets in the Provincial government building in ’s-Hertogenbosch. During these meetings, decisions are taken on provincial policy. These decisions are discussed in one of the Executive Committees beforehand. Here, the discussion in the Provincial Executive is prepared and the matter is discussed with the responsible deputy. In addition, anyone who wants to do so may ask for the opportunity to speak with the secretary of a particular committee. Both the committee meetings and the Council meetings are accesible to the public.
The Provincial Executive
The day-to-day administration of the province is in the hands of the Provincial Executive. They take decisions about the execution of the policies agreed upon and they prepare new policies for the Provincial Council. The board consists of executives who each have their individual portfolios. They are ellected by the Provincial Council, but are not Council members themselves. They are therefore somewhat independent of the Council. Within his or her policy area, the executive discusses with civil servants the implementation of plans and projects and the preparation of new policy. The entire executive is responsible for decisions taken on all policy areas. This is called ‘joint administration’.
The commissioner of the queen
The commissioner of the queen, Wim van der Donk, represents the province at official functions. He is the chairperson and a full member of the Provincial Executive. He acts as co-ordinator in disaster relief and visits councils on a regular basis. He also supervises the official organisation and provincial companies. He is expected to perform his tasks independently and has been appointed by the Crown (H.M. the Queen and government ministers).
Dualism
The Provincial Government Dualisation Act makes a clear separation between the tasks and responsibilities of the Provincial Executive and the Provincial Council. This is to provide a more transparent political process. A deputy can no longer also be a Provincial Council member. The management authorities are concentrated with the Provincial Executive. The framework-setting and monitoring tasks of the Provincial Executive are strengthened and more emphasis will be placed on its representative function.