Activity 9: Too many political representatives in Brussels?
Brussels, administrative city and spy nest?
Activity 9: Too many political representatives in Brussels?
Which European metropolis has the highest number of political representatives per 1,000 inhabitants?
Source : Van Haute, Emilie [et al.]. Besturen in Brussel. Brussel, 2017
Are there too many elected representatives in Brussels?
This question has often been asked. The answer is no... and yes. It depends on the points of comparison.
The answer is no because most elected representatives sit at the municipal level where the number of representatives is linked to the size of the population. In a given municipality, it is the municipality that determines the number of municipal councillors and aldermen. From this point of view, Brussels is not at odds with other Belgian municipalities. Some researchers even point out the advantages of such a pool of representatives which include: the proximity to the citizens, an easier integration of minorities, perhaps a greater choice of representatives for executive mandates, etc.
At the same time, the question arises as to whether the ratio of "municipal councillors per inhabitant " is the same in a large city such as Brussels, because of its small territory, as in less urbanised areas. In this respect, the answer to the above question is yes. The animation comparing Brussels with other large Belgian and European cities shows that Brussels is not unique. Its figures are, for example, comparable with those of Antwerp and Vienna. However, there is one important observation to make: the number of representatives with an executive position in Brussels is much higher than in the other large cities mentioned above.
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