About Us

Dear Mr. Derks,

For the benefit of a future-oriented new city administration, we would like to bring our recommendations to your attention on behalf of the Independent Advisory Council Maastricht (OAM), as well as to the attention of the parties seeking to form the new city government. We are, of course, more than willing to explain our advice in person.

The OAM is independent and was appointed in 2023 by the Mayor and Aldermen of Maastricht. We are volunteers who provide solicited and unsolicited advice on topics affecting the city related to social issues such as care and support, poverty and loneliness, diversity and inclusion, youth, and seniors. We aim to contribute to promoting self-reliance, personal strength, and the participation of our residents.

Our recommendations:

1. Promote social security within the possibilities of the municipality. We expect our most vulnerable residents—especially people with disabilities—to face extra financial hardship in the very near future (including increases in healthcare deductibles, personal contributions for district nursing, and the elimination of domestic help under the Social Support Act (Wmo)). Therefore, prioritize measures that benefit their future social and financial resilience, self-reliance, and participation within our municipality.
2. Recently, the City Council adopted a policy document from the Mayor and Aldermen regarding accessibility, diversity, and inclusion, titled the ‘Local Inclusion Agenda Maastricht’. It is a strongly formulated ambition to achieve an accessible city for everyone. The document addresses a wide range of topics and themes, including public spaces, education, sports, and culture. It covers work, healthcare, well-being, and the fight against discrimination, as well as LGBTQI+, asylum seekers, and expats. The municipality of Maastricht itself should also become an institution in the coming years where diversity and inclusion are part of the core practice of daily operations. The policy document covers the period from 2026 to 2029, roughly coinciding with the term of the new coalition. This subject carries a high degree of urgency; nationally, some aldermen even have this theme as the sole mandate in their portfolio. We therefore propose that the policy to be implemented regarding diversity and inclusion be explicitly mentioned in the new coalition agreement, preferably in a separate section, and assigned to the portfolio of one of the appointed aldermen.
3. Invest more in social work (community workers) so they can play a larger role in community development in vulnerable neighborhoods and districts. Within the framework of ‘Social Prescribing’, invest more in ‘well-being coaches’ (social workers) and link them as practice assistants to all general practitioner practices in Maastricht.
4. Reverse the annual amount of €23 million in budget cuts in the social domain—particularly in the Social Support Act (Wmo). Reserve the released financial resources to promote the social security of residents who require social support. Upon studying the 2021 Annual Accounts of the Municipality of Maastricht, it became clear to us that the cuts in the Wmo were not necessary at all that year. Since then, annual accounts have shown financial surpluses, partly due to the annual cuts of €23 million in the Wmo.
5. Connect the social domain with the physical domain so that the ‘Health in All Policies’ principle can actually be incorporated into municipal policy developments. Work together with residents on social area development and the stimulation of local initiatives. This is beneficial for reducing the gap between government and society. In this way, we work together on the healthy street of the future!
6. Anchor the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ratified in 2016, as an assessment category in your proposals to the city council. After all, ratification means that this treaty has acquired the force of law for all levels of government. Include the broad concept of accessibility as a condition for issuing building, environmental, and establishment permits to retail businesses, catering establishments, etc. Prioritize life-cycle resistant construction.
7. Make the also ratified UN Convention on the Rights of the Child the basis for policies regarding youth and youth care. This treaty gives every child the right to grow up safely and healthily. Legally, municipalities are responsible for giving substance to the rights of every child in the municipality. Partly from a preventive perspective and given the results achieved with the ‘Healthy Primary School of the Future’, we advise extending this project for at least 5 years after 2027. Currently, children in a very vulnerable position in the municipality of Maastricht are the victims of free market forces that allow profit-oriented parties to skim off the easiest cases. As a result, waiting lists in areas such as Youth Mental Health Care for children in very vulnerable positions are increasing disastrously. Additionally, the movement to admit fewer children to closed settings (such as at ViaJeugd) requires an extra financial impulse. After all, it demands much more from society if these children, who are indicated for extreme behavior, must be able to grow up as healthily and safely as possible outside of closed settings 24 hours a day.
8. Increase the influence of our residents on spatial projects in order to implement the ‘Act on Strengthening Participation at the Local Level’. By seriously involving the residents of Maastricht—including house hunters!—in the development and implementation of plans and projects by major initiators (project developers, housing corporations, and companies), the municipality becomes more of its residents again. This contributes to reducing the gap between government and society. Have major initiators submit participation plans simultaneously with permit applications under the Environment and Planning Act to show how they involve residents in their projects or plans and what the results are. This reduces the chance of subsequent appeal and objection procedures, which lead to delays in the execution of projects and plans by major initiators.
9. Let the construction of affordable rental and owner-occupied homes be accompanied by community development from within every district or neighborhood of Maastricht. Turn every vulnerable neighborhood into a ‘PLUS neighborhood’. Ensure the healthiest possible living environment where young people can find an affordable home, apartment, or room and feel challenged, where diversity feels recognized, where lonely elderly people are seen, where care for the elderly is close by, and where women feel protected.
10. Invest in optimally facilitating volunteers. We would like to advocate for the recruitment and optimal facilitation of volunteers who are willing to commit themselves to their city, their sports club, their brass band, their community center, etc. For instance, there is a large group of (vital) seniors who can and want to contribute to our society. Their experience, time, and expertise are abundantly available. They can support the boards of associations, community centers, and (semi-)cultural institutions in their work. Almost all political parties state in their programs that they consider associations and community centers essential for connecting our polarized and divided city. However, recruiting sufficient volunteers is becoming an increasing problem. People are particularly deterred by the high regulatory burden and the personal risks regarding liability, etc. Therefore, we advise the newly elected municipal government to prioritize the optimal facilitation of boards of associations, community centers, and (semi-)cultural institutions by volunteers, including by reducing the regulatory burden and providing liability insurance.

In a general sense, we advocate for a municipal government that dares to make a difference and explores the boundaries of legal possibilities and powers instead of strictly coloring within the lines. We are thinking, for example, of the limitations that market forces in healthcare impose on local government, while in cases where things go wrong, that same government has to pay for the damages. Practical examples and best practices from other municipalities offer interesting possibilities. It is our firm conviction and experience that an open mind and courage are rewarded!

Signed on behalf of the members of the Independent Maastricht Advisory Council

Yours faithfully,

Sphinx Debate Center, at the request of and in collaboration with the OAM

Centre Céramique

Jan 28 from 7:30pm to 9:30pm GMT+1

How are young people growing up in our city and region actually doing? And what does it mean when ‘the system’ in particular gets stuck? How are young people growing up in Maastricht and the surrounding area actually doing? And what does it mean if not only young people get stuck, but especially the system that is supposed to support them? In South Limburg, youth care has been under considerable pressure, both in terms of content and finances, for some time. In recent years, municipalities have had to contribute millions of euros, while it remained unclear what improvements this yielded. This calls for an honest conversation about where the real problems lie and how we can move forward.

We have been talking for years about the failing youth care system, but what do young people themselves see? What do their families and the people who work with them see? This debate puts everything on the table. We often read about performance pressure and mental problems, while the reality is less clear-cut than the newspaper headlines suggest. That is why we look beyond the system and explore what young people, families and professionals show about growing up in this day and age.

Professor Levi van Dam will open the evening with a plea to look at young people and mental health differently. Forensic educationalist Naomi Koning will share insights from her research into resilience during the corona period. After that, we will talk with young people, professionals and policymakers from the region. Other speakers will be announced later. It will be an evening about resilience, education, system boundaries and the question of what a society needs to allow every child to grow up healthy.

Links:

• https://debatcentrumsphinx.nl/
• https://www.eventbrite.nl/e/jongeren-onder-druk-jeugdzorg-loopt-vast-wat-is-nodig-tickets-1978278873364

In collaboration with the Sphinx Debate Center, the Independent Advisory Council Maastricht is organizing a Sphinx debate about youth care. Levi van Dam, extraordinary professor of ‘Resilient Growing Up’ at the University of Amsterdam, is coming to our city for this event. As well as Naomi Koning, who obtained her doctorate on the subject of ‘Mental Health of Young People during Covid-19’.

The Sphinx debate will take place on Wednesday evening, January 28, 2026, from 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM at Centre Céramique Maastricht. You are cordially invited!

Further information will follow.