Voting advice for the city council election

On 21 March 2018, Amsterdammers will elect a new city council and district committees. Foreigners living in Amsterdam may be eligible to vote, check here for details.

If you want to find out how the positions of local parties compare to your own views, take the test below. You can give your opinion on a series of proposals the city council voted on in 2017. At the end of the test, a chart will show which parties you agree with most often. See also the disclaimer below.

Organise the Uitmarkt (the festival marking the start of the cultural season) by turns in the peripheral districts of Zuidoost, Noord and Nieuw-West
For: The city centre is crowded; this will stimulate the development of other parts of the city. Against: It’s not up to the city council but the organisers of the Uitmarkt to decide where the festival is held.
Background



Voted for: GroenLinks, Partij van de Ouderen, Partij voor de Dieren, PvdA, SP, VVD. Voted against: CDA, D66.
Exempt polluting historical buses from the environmental zone, where polluting vehicles are banned
For: It’s important to preserve our mobile heritage. Against: It’s already possible to install a non-polluting engine in historical buses with support from the city government.
Background



Voted for: CDA, Partij van de Ouderen, PvdA, SP, VVD. Voted against: D66, GroenLinks, Partij voor de Dieren.
Create neighbourhoods that don’t rely on natural gas and give neighbourhood residents a role in managing the power supply
For: This will contribute to the transition to a circular society. Against: Unknown.
Background



Voted for: D66, GroenLinks, Partij van de Ouderen, PvdA, SP. Voted against: CDA, VVD.
Start an experiment allowing welfare recipients to earn some additional income, without additional conditions
For: More rules won’t help people find jobs. Against: People need to be pushed to find a job; this is in their own best interest.
Background



Voted for: D66, GroenLinks, Partij van de Ouderen, PvdA, SP. Voted against: CDA, VVD.
Lift the requirement for bed & breakfast owners to present the key to their guests in person
For: The requirement is bureaucratic, which is undesirable. Against: Lifting the requirement will lead to commercialisation of bed & breakfasts.
Background



Voted for: VVD. Voted against: CDA, D66, GroenLinks, Partij van de Ouderen, PvdA, SP.
Remove the city marketing sign IAmsterdam from the Museumplein
For: This symbol of commercialisation and individualism should be removed from the Museumplein. Against: Local businesses appreciate it.
Background



Voted for: CDA, GroenLinks, Partij van de Ouderen, Partij voor de Dieren, SP. Voted against: D66, PvdA, VVD.
Force the municipal transportation company GVB to do something about excessive remuneration
For: The GVB refuses to abide by the city policy; the entire management board receives a remuneration that exceeds the norm set by the city council. Against: It has been tried to find a solution that is acceptable to both the GVB and the city government and that is a transition period of seven years.
Background



Voted for: GroenLinks, Partij van de Ouderen, PvdA, SP. Voted against: CDA, D66, VVD.
Regulate the taxi market, for example by introducing a cap on the number of licenses
For: The number of taxis on the streets is exploding. They simply don’t fit anymore. Against: A cap is a form of government intervention that will not solve the problem.
Background



Voted for: GroenLinks, Partij van de Ouderen, Partij voor de Dieren, PvdA, SP. Voted against: CDA, D66, VVD.
Create more bicycle parking facilities near the Amstelveenseweg, if necessary by sacrificing parking spaces for cars
For: The pavement has been made narrower and now there’s too little room, which can also create inconvenience for pedestrians. Against: Sacrificing car parking spaces is undesirable.
Background



Voted for: D66, GroenLinks, Partij voor de Dieren, PvdA, SP. Voted against: CDA, Partij van de Ouderen, VVD.
Reduce the share of city government staff with insecure labour contracts to at most 10%
For: Amsterdam has a relatively high share of employees with insecure jobs; this has a negative impact on quality. Against: It’s questionable whether this is feasible or desirable.
Background



Voted for: GroenLinks, Partij van de Ouderen, PvdA, SP. Voted against: CDA, D66, VVD.
Increase the share of affordable houses from 30% to 40% in the new Amstelkwartier development
For: There is a need for more affordable housing. Against: To promote diversity, it’s important to include expensive housing.
Background



Voted for: GroenLinks, Partij voor de Dieren, PvdA, SP. Voted against: CDA, D66, VVD.
Stop selling and liberalising houses owned by housing corporations in areas where less than 35% of housing is affordable rent
For: In the interest of diversity, the share of affordable rent should not be further reduced in these neighbourhoods. Against: We should liberalise housing in the area within the ring road and sell affordable rental houses in peripheral parts of the city.
Background



Voted for: GroenLinks, Partij van de Ouderen, Partij voor de Dieren, PvdA, SP. Voted against: CDA, D66, VVD.
Set the minimum charge for ground leases from the city at 1.6% instead of 3%
For: This is more respectful of acquired rights. Against: Especially owners of hotels and offices will benefit. City income will decrease, which means less money for for example health care or other social services.
Background



Voted for: CDA, D66, Partij voor de Dieren, VVD. Voted against: GroenLinks, Partij van de Ouderen, PvdA, SP.
Don’t contract with home care providers that violate the collective labour agreement
For: Some home care providers don’t pay staff according to the wage scale that applies to the type of work they do. Against: If the city cancels a contract with a home care provider that violates the collective labour agreement, workers may lose their job.
Background



Voted for: GroenLinks, Partij van de Ouderen, Partij voor de Dieren, PvdA, SP. Voted against: CDA, D66, VVD.
Improve care for terminal patients
For: the rise in single elderly living at home leads to a higher need for care. Against: This is a responsibility for the national government, one shouldn’t create confusion.
Background



Voted for: CDA, GroenLinks, Partij van de Ouderen, PvdA, SP. Voted against: D66, VVD.
Give ‘urban nomads’ a sufficiently large location where they can live
For: The allocated space is too small; there are indications that police and the fire brigade have concerns too. Against: There is sufficient space.
Background



Voted for: GroenLinks, Partij van de Ouderen, Partij voor de Dieren, PvdA, SP. Voted against: CDA, D66, VVD.
Give the district committees a neighbourhood budget
For: This will allow them to respond quicker to questions and initiatives from neighbourhood residents. Against: The budget is a responsibility of the city council and not the district committees.
Background



Voted for: CDA, D66, GroenLinks, Partij voor de Dieren, PvdA, SP. Voted against: VVD.
Provide lockers where the homeless can store personal belongings during the day
For: Homeless people who don’t know yet where they will spend the night have no place to store their belongings during the day. Against: One shouldn’t ‘reward’ the homeless until they participate in a programme.
Background



Voted for: CDA, GroenLinks, Partij van de Ouderen, PvdA, SP. Voted against: D66, VVD.
Don’t automatically allow advertising companies to install advertising signs with moving images in underground stations
For: Advertising signs with moving images create a nuisance. Against: In underground stations, this is not a problem.
Background



Voted for: CDA, GroenLinks, Partij van de Ouderen, PvdA, SP. Voted against: D66, VVD.

Disclaimer

This test is not intended as a replacement for independent thinking and investigation.

The statements are based on proposals the city council voted on in 2017, and the arguments for and against that were used. Of course, these short summaries can never entirely do justice to the debate in the city council. Therefore, each statement comes with a link to the report of the city council meeting in which the proposal was discussed (only in Dutch; unfortunately the council information system is not very user friendly - click on the double red arrow below the video to open the entire page).

The Party for the Animals and the Party of the Elderly are missing from the calculated score. This is because these parties missed some of the votes.

Sometimes, parties vote for a proposal they disagree with or vice versa, for example because of the coalition agreement. This might distort the outcome. Therefore, only proposals are included on wich coalition parties voted differently: apparently parties were not bound by the coalition agreement on these issues.

The answers you provide will not be stored.