“The worst thing is that the citizens were not listened to,” says Jaap van Donselaar with a piercing look at his kitchen table in Scherpenzeel. Last June, the municipality organized a referendum with the question: are you for or against the merger of Scherpenzeel and the municipality of Barneveld? A large majority, 82 percent, was against. Scherpenzeler in heart and soul Van Donselaar then thought: then we also have to make sure that it doesn’t happen. Together with three others from the village, they started the Scherpenzeel Independent Citizens’ Initiative. “It had been clear for years that the Provincial Council and the King’s Commissioner wanted to push that merger through.”
#Scherpenzeel #Gaul #Netherlands #wanted #determine #village