Mol (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Residents from Mol have three days to contemplate their municipality’s future development at the cultural center ‘t Getouw. The cultural center ‘t Getouw provides this service. Multiple thematic stands are presented at the so-called future market within Mol.
The municipality of Mol is hosting a three-day ‘future market’ at the cultural centre ‘t Getouw, allowing residents to weigh in on local policy priorities and budget allocation. Activities at the event take place each day from 9:00 AM until 9:00 PM except Thursday, through thematic stands, information sessions, and workshops.
Mayor Wim Caeyers from the CD&V team explained that the initiative serves to obtain citizens’ opinions regarding Mol’s six-year multi-year planning process to increase community involvement in policy development. The three main points of discussion at the conference focus on transportation solutions and city park development along with poverty alleviation strategies.
The intention is that residents provide input for the multi-year plan for the coming 6 years. That way they feel that the policy is also theirs.
The market also shows residents what the challenges are for the administration.
A workshop like the mayor’s wallet shows people how to deal with the limited municipal budget. This way people see that we as politicians constantly have to make choices.
For visitor Mark Mertens, traffic is the biggest challenge:
The accessibility of the center sometimes leaves much to be desired.
Rit is particularly curious about spatial policy:
I want more green in our municipality.
She is happy that she can give her opinion.
“This is fantastic. You can express your own opinion, but you also learn that a municipality is concerned with much more than just what you find important.”
For Kurt, the threshold for poverty aid must be lower:
Social services in the city must be much more proactive. The threshold for seeking help is still high for people in poverty.
What is the background of Mol’s ‘future market’?
Mol Municipality conducted its ‘future market’ over three days to integrate public opinions into its updated 2025-2031 strategic plan while serving the nearly 37,000 residents of Antwerp province.
This initiative is well suited for Belgium’s drive towards coproduction, where local authorities and top leaders are involving citizens in decision-making. More than €150 million makes up Mol’s annual budget, where mobility, as part of infrastructure costs, takes a fourth of the total budget, followed by environment at 15% and social welfare at 12%. It arises from a survey conducted in 2022, revealing that 60 % of the residents wanted more opportunities to participate in making decisions on matters affecting the municipality.
Some of the issues include traffic jams, inadequate space for the growth of natural vegetation, which occupies only 12% of Mol’s urban layout area, and the increasing number of people below the poverty line, which stands at 8.5% of all households. Other Belgian towns like Geel and Turnhout have adopted other forms of participatory budgeting with positive results such as increased satisfaction among the citizens to 25%.
