Abstract

In the amalgamation of the agglomeration of Charleroi the attempt was made to achieve political representation of each sub-municipality both in the municipal council and on the municipal executive board. As regards service provision, the principle of decentralisation was honoured in order not to lose contact with the people. Administrative bodies to be newly established were necessarily decentralised because of infrastructural problems, which complicate the concentration. As far as personnel matters are concerned, the old staf! was kept in its familiar places. The administrative task expansion required more qualified personnel, a problem that was resolved to a large part by training of the existing personnel.Organisationally, the amalgamation required an expansion and implementation of a number of facilities to assure communication. Financially, the amalgamation was doomed to fail because of the non-adjustment of the Municipal Fund, the bad economic situation of the region, and the failure of the national authorities to live up to the obligations they had agreed upon.