In conversation with…. Local Interest Group Langezwaag

A brief round of introductions. What does the board look like?

We currently have a completely new board of four people. According to the articles of association, the board must consist of seven people, but this has been a problem for many years. We are in the process of revising the articles of association. For example, the articles of association state that we must meet eleven times a year. We believe this is no longer necessary, as we can easily reach each other via email or app. The most important positions on the board have been filled. Anja Koehoorn is chair, Wietse Bosma is secretary, Wouter Speelman is treasurer, and Sietske Voolstra is a general member. So we are a new board. The previous board had a very active chair with a wealth of knowledge and expertise. Thijs meant so much to the village. It is not possible for us to fill that role in the same way. That is why we would like to take a different approach. Not that the board will take on all activities itself, but rather in connection with the residents. This is how you create support among residents. We do have some ideas about this.

What does the Local Interest Group mainly focus on?

Actually, the question should be: what has the local community not been involved in over the past few years? We have taken on a lot of issues. We are now focusing more closely and have received advice from Hiske and Doarpswurk, among others. As a board, we will take a good look at what does and does not belong on our plate and see where the opportunities lie. For example, we believe that the energy transition does not belong on the local interest group's plate. Of course, we provide support where we can, and if there are working groups, we participate. As for complaints in public spaces, we do not accept them as a local interest group, but refer them to the reporting app. One of the most important issues we want to address is support within the village. In Langezwaag, 45 percent of residents are members of the local interest group. That's not very many. So we need to increase support. This is clearly an opportunity; it's good to recruit new members. And make sure the administration is in order. The surrounding villages, such as Luxwoude, have given us tips on how to tackle this. So this fall, we will be running a membership drive and we are aiming for 75 percent. Another idea is to bring enthusiastic people from neighborhoods together; a so-called neighborhood mayor for each neighborhood. The idea is that the neighborhood mayor is a point of contact for us and can support fun initiatives in the neighborhoods.

There is a lot to be done in Langezwaag, such as the construction of the school and the expansion of the village with sixteen homes. We certainly see a role for the local community in this. And let's not forget the 1 million mini missions project, a project of the Regio Deal. These are large and long-term projects that also require a lot of time and energy. Take the latest mini mission, for example, the water tap. There is much more to it than initially thought. For example, you discover that a permit still needs to be arranged and that a connection needs to be made. So, as we mentioned earlier, letting residents participate in working groups on topics they are interested in is a win-win situation. We have so much knowledge and enthusiasm in the village, we need to make use of that. Finding the connection is the key!

On October 4, the mayor will visit Langezwaag. We are already working on putting together a fun program for the visit. We are looking forward to it!

And finally, the village vision. We want to start working on this together with our residents in the fall.

What are the local issues/are there things that could be improved?

And how can the municipality support this? What we really see as a great opportunity in our village is for associations in our village to interact with each other a little more. Our associations are very enthusiastic but also very inward-looking. Local interests could play a role here. We also want to work on our own profile. We could welcome new residents with a welcome pack containing, for example, tokens for the village hall and a nice Map all the contact details of important associations in the village. This might help us recruit new members.

Communication with the municipality could be improved. By this, we mean feedback or announcements about work being carried out. We would like to be informed in good time as soon as work is going to take place in public spaces. In other words, communication in advance. This is not (yet) happening sufficiently. As a municipality, take a good look at how residents are informed and discuss this with local interest groups. Sometimes a letter to residents is sufficient, and sometimes an information meeting is useful.

The timing of meetings organized by the municipality is also not always well chosen. For example, the meeting with village hall boards that started at 4:00/4:30 p.m. Many board members have jobs in addition to their volunteer work and are therefore not available during the day. The municipality should take this into account. Simply schedule meetings in the evening. Then everyone can attend.

What is going well? 

We are happy with the village councilor. It's great to have short lines of communication. All we have to do is send a text or make a phone call and we're in touch. It's very accessible. The same goes for the village team. "If something happens elsewhere in the organization, the village team jumps in to help us." We find our contact with them very positive. We also experience a lot of support from the municipality, for example when organizing a meeting for the village or developing a village vision.

Where are the remaining challenges?

We consider cooperation with both the municipality and other local stakeholders to be important. Take the construction of a new school, for example, which is of course something that has been going on for years in Langezwaag, but also affects Jonkerslân and Luxwoude. It is important that we work together to look at the zoning plan and access to the new school. After all, the school must be easily accessible for children from all three villages. People are agitated about the fact that the construction of the school is taking so long. And our plan to Map local interests more firmly on the Map is still in its infancy. After the summer, we will be reaching out to our residents through a 'doarpspetear' (village meeting), a visit from the mayor, and the drafting of a village vision. A wonderful challenge! The village team will be providing support, which we are very happy about!

Are there any tips for other local interests?

Every local interest group board is different. Perhaps board members should not remain in office for too long. A change can be refreshing. Perhaps more networking with each other. Contact with each other is always good, because you learn from each other!