Oostende Council in Caretaker Mode Amid Alderman Probe

The city council of Oostende (Ostend), a coastal city in the Belgian province of West Flanders, has entered caretaker mode — known in Belgian governance as lopende zaken, or “ongoing affairs” — suspending new policy decisions after a damaging psychosocial investigation into the functioning of first alderman Charlotte Verkeyn (N-VA), who is also a sitting federal member of Parliament. The crisis has escalated from a local personnel dispute into a regional governance matter, with Flemish Minister of Home Affairs Hilde Crevits (CD&V) dispatching West Flanders governor Carl Decaluwé to conduct an exploratory investigation, VRT NWS reported.

The Investigation and the Caretaker Decision

According to VRT NWS, the psychosocial investigation began in June 2026 after multiple complaints from city staff to the prevention service about working with Verkeyn. Around 30 staff members were heard, and several civil servants indicated they could no longer work — or did not want to work — with the alderman. A separate investigation by HR service group Liantis and one by Audit Vlaanderen are also underway, following a collective complaint by roughly 20 city staff members, Focus & WTV reported.

The final report is reportedly “vernietigend” — devastating — and recommends either ending cooperation with Verkeyn or reshuffling her competences, De Morgen noted. On 31 August, mayor John Crombez (Vooruit) circulated a note to the college of aldermen placing the council in caretaker mode. In the note, he reminded colleagues that “we speak with each other, not about each other, and that we maintain a calm and professional tone.”

Under the caretaker arrangement, only high-urgency decisions may still be taken, and these must be put in writing and coordinated with a member of the city’s management team. In practice, the aldermen may no longer communicate decisions to civil servants themselves; the general director or management team issues instructions instead.

A Coalition Under Strain

Oostende is governed by a coalition between Vooruit Plus — the party of mayor Crombez — and N-VA, formed in December 2024 after local elections and once described as a “dream marriage.” Verkeyn, who has served as an alderman since 2019 and was elected to the federal Chamber of Representatives in June 2024, became first alderman responsible for Economy and Enterprise, the Port, Buildings, and Sport.

Crombez’s office declined to comment for now. According to De Morgen, the note cited circumstances that “obstruct an open and constructive way of preparing policy decisions and working on their implementation,” which is why no new policy decisions will be taken until there is more clarity. De Standaard has reported that N-VA refused to drop Verkeyn despite the mayor’s request.

Opposition Calls for Transparency

The opposition has reacted sharply. Vlaams Belang faction leader Tom Lamont demanded that the city council be fully briefed on the investigation’s mandate, conduct, conclusions, and recommendations — if necessary in closed session, with respect for the privacy of the staff involved.

“Those who commission an independent investigation cannot set aside its outcome because it is politically inconvenient,” Lamont said. “And the council members who must scrutinize this government should not be dependent on what happens to land in the press.”

Charlotte De Backer and Lode Lancksweerdt of the opposition party Trots op Oostende criticized the delay in responding. “The mayor already knew in early June that staff were collectively raising the alarm. Yet it took almost three months before measures came,” De Backer said. She warned about the city’s capacity to govern: “With important files such as the core-tasks debate and the budget adjustments ahead, our city needs an administration that can function fully. Not one in caretaker mode.”

Regional Intervention

On 18 September, Flemish Minister Crevits confirmed that she has instructed governor Decaluwé to carry out a verkennend onderzoek — an exploratory investigation — into the circumstances. She framed the move as information-gathering rather than judgment. “In the first instance this is a local discussion, which I sincerely hope they will resolve, in the interest of the City of Oostende,” she said. “On the other hand, I have instructed the governor to conduct an exploratory investigation into the circumstances.”

Crevits stressed that any eventual disciplinary procedure would be her responsibility as minister, but confirmed that no such procedure is currently underway. Decaluwé will request the file and maintain contact with the various political players in Oostende. The sending of a governor — the regional government’s representative in the province — is a notable escalation, though Crevits framed it as oversight rather than sanction.

Analysis: What Is at Stake

The use of caretaker mode by a mid-term local council over a personnel dispute is unusual and reflects the political gravity of the situation. The arrangement effectively freezes major policy work at a moment when Oostende faces the kerntakendebat — a debate over the city’s core tasks — and budget adjustments. A prolonged standstill could delay decisions that a functioning council would normally handle in the autumn.

The case also carries a broader political dimension. Verkeyn holds a dual mandate as both a federal MP and a local alderman, a combination that raises the stakes for N-VA at regional and national levels. Because the mayor cannot unilaterally remove an alderman from a coalition partner, any resolution — whether a resignation, a reshuffle of competences, or a new coalition arrangement — would be a coalition-level decision.

What to Watch

The content of the final report remains confidential, and only its reported conclusion — that it recommends ending cooperation with Verkeyn or reshuffling her competences — is public. The coming weeks will hinge on the governor’s exploratory findings and whether the Vooruit Plus–N-VA coalition can resolve the impasse. A disciplinary procedure against Verkeyn, snap local elections, or a reshuffled coalition are all possibilities that now hang over the coastal city’s governance.