What Gemeente Pekela does

Gemeente Pekela is a Dutch municipality (gemeente) located in the province of Groningen, Netherlands, operating under Dutch municipal law as a public administrative body governed by an elected council, a college of mayor and aldermen (B&W), and the mayor. It serves approximately 12,250 residents across the villages of Oude Pekela, Nieuwe Pekela, and Boven Pekela, with a staff of 128 employees headquartered at Raadhuislaan 8 in Oude Pekela. As a public-sector entity, it generates revenue through mandatory local taxes and levies — including property tax (onroerendezaakbelasting), waste collection fees, and sewerage charges — supplemented by central-government allocations, and does not publish commercial pricing.

The municipality delivers services through a unified digital service platform anchored at pekela.nl, with functional modules including an online appointment booking system (pekela.mijnafspraakmaken.nl), an online reporting system (loket.pekela.nl/meldingen), an entrepreneur/business portal, a social services team (Sociaal Team Pekela) covering Centrum Jeugd en Gezin, Wmo support, GGZ, and care-safety functions, permit and exemption processing (horeca, construction, events), and a digital council meeting platform via notubiz.nl. Distribution operates through appointment-based office visits, telephone, WhatsApp, and the self-serve online portal. The municipality is GDPR-compliant and has undergone external accessibility audits (partial compliance status B).

Gemeente Pekela's strategic priorities are set out in the Raadsakkoord 2023-2026 and include adding 250 new homes (including the completed 70-unit Hooiwijk energy-neutral project), spatial planning through the Toekomstvisie for the Nieuwe Pekela-Ommelanderwijk area, and partnership-driven social support via De Badde (welfare), Acantus (social housing), VIP! Pekela (volunteers), Menzis (municipal health insurance), and InnoVatiehub Oost-Groningen. The municipality's technology footprint is built on standard civic-tech tooling rather than proprietary AI/ML systems.

Name

Gemeente Pekela

Legal name

Gemeente Pekela

Website

https://pekela.nl

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Gemeente Pekela is a Dutch public municipality in Groningen province serving approximately 12,250 residents with 128 staff, delivering statutory local government services — permits, social care, waste, and taxation — through a digital portal and appointment-based municipal office, funded by local taxes and central-government allocations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oude Pekela

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Municipal Taxes and Levies: Gemeente Pekela generates revenue through local taxes and levies including property taxes (onroerendezaakbelasting), waste collection fees, and sewerage charges. These are mandatory contributions from residents and businesses to fund municipal services.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Gemeente Pekela is a Dutch municipality providing local public administration services to approximately 12,250 residents in the province of Groningen. Its core offerings include permit and exemption processing, social support services (Wmo, youth care, mental health), waste collection, tax administration (property tax, sewerage and waste fees), civil affairs (passports, ID cards, birth/death registration), and spatial planning. Services are delivered through a municipal office in Oude Pekela, an online portal (loket.pekela.nl), telephone support, and WhatsApp.

Product overview

Gemeente Pekela is a Dutch municipality offering a unified digital service platform through its website portal. The core offering consists of the main municipal website providing access to various services including appointment scheduling (Online Afspraak Maken), online reporting (Meldingen), tax payments, passport/ID services, and a dedicated business portal (Ondernemersloket). The municipality also provides specialized social services through its Sociaal Team, permit services, and council meeting access. The services are interconnected through the central website at pekela.nl, with dedicated portals for specific functions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Municipal Service Portal (pekela.nl)

Quantifiable outcome

• Hooiwijk project completed: 70 energy-neutral homes
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AcantuscoreOthersAcantus is a housing corporation (woningstichting) that manages social housing in the region. Residents can apply directly for housing urgency (woonurgentie) through Acantus without intermediary fees. The municipality warns residents about bureaus charging over 100 euros for helping with woonurgentie applications when Acantus offers direct application.
• De BaddecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDe Badde is a welfare institution (welzijnsinstelling) serving all inhabitants of the municipality Pekela. Residents can go to De Badde with questions about health, money, and neighborhood livability. De Badde collaborates with the municipality on youth support services and transition periods after school.
• VIP! Pekela (Vrijwilligers Informatie Punt)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe VIP! Pekela provides information about volunteering, how to register as a volunteer, and how organizations can post volunteer vacancies. The municipality supports this initiative as part of its social support framework.
• Menzis (Gemeentepolis GarantVerzorgd)minorOthersMenzis health insurer offers the 'GarantVerzorgd' municipal health insurance policy for residents with low income or high healthcare costs who still need good coverage.
• InnoVatiehub Oost-GroningenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovation hub for East Groningen that supports entrepreneurship and innovation. Mentioned in the Raadsakkoord 2023-2026 as a good example of supporting local businesses and talent retention.
• Waterschap Hunze en Aa'sminorOthersWater board responsible for water management in the region. The document mentions G.J. ten Brink from Waterschap Hunze en Aa's being appointed as verkenner (explorer/advisor) to investigate options for the municipal coalition.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Gemeente Het Hogeland: Groningen rural municipality formed by merger, facing the same demographic and service delivery challenges; delivers comparable Wmo, youth care, permits, and tax services.
• Gemeente Tynaarlo: Drenthe municipality of similar population scale with comparable rural-suburban character; offers identical municipal services through a digital portal including Wmo, jeugdzorg, permits, and taxation.
• Gemeente Stadskanaal: Adjacent East Groningen municipality with similar population scale and rural/industrial mix; offers an identical local government service portfolio including social team, permits, and housing policy.
• Gemeente Westerwolde: Rural East Groningen municipality with similar demographic challenges (aging, depopulation) delivering the same Wmo, jeugdzorg, and permit services to a comparable small population.
• Gemeente Midden-Groningen: Mid-sized Groningen municipality operating the same integrated social services, housing allocation, and digital citizen engagement model for residents in a comparable rural-urban setting.
• Gemeente Aa en Hunze: Drenthe municipality of comparable scale serving a small rural population with the same suite of municipal services including welfare coordination, permits, and citizen engagement.
• Gemeente Borger-Odoorn: Drenthe rural municipality of comparable size with similar aging population dynamics; provides identical municipal service portfolio including social team, permits, and housing.
• Gemeente Veendam: Nearby Groningen municipality of comparable scale providing the same municipal services including social support, housing, waste management, and citizen engagement through a digital portal.
• Gemeente Noardeast-Fryslân: Frisian municipality formed by merger with similar demographic profile, delivering the same municipal services including social support, housing, and digital service delivery to a comparable population.
• Gemeente Oldambt: Neighboring rural municipality in East Groningen of comparable size and demographic profile, delivering the same suite of municipal services (Wmo, jeugdzorg, permits, waste, taxation) to a similar population base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gemeente_pekela
• Facebookfacebook.com/gemeentepekela
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gemeente-pekela
• Instagraminstagram.com/gemeentepekela

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gemeente Pekela