From October 1 to 8, the regional representation of the Civil Network "OPORA" conducted a survey of 32 experts - representatives of business, media, education and public organizations. During the study, experts identified the most significant spheres of life in Lutsk, on solving problems in which the new city authorities should focus their activities in the future. The event was held within the framework of the Public Democratic Monitoring Campaign of the Civil Network OPORA. Each expert was offered a questionnaire with open-ended questions, as well as a five-point scale, according to which they evaluated a specific sphere of activity in the city. During the survey, experts were asked to determine the urgency of Lutsk's problems in the socio-economic and humanitarian spheres, as well as to assess the presence of attention to them from political forces participating in the 2010 local elections, to analyze the presence of proposals for solving relevant issues in the program guidelines and promises of political parties. Experts were able to offer their vision of the main components of local policy for solving community development problems, to identify the main policy directions, possible steps of local authorities to improve the socio-economic situation in the city, and to resolve problems in the sphere of humanitarian policy. Among the most acute socio-economic problems of Lutsk, according to the experts' five-point rating, the following problems were identified: o reforming the housing and communal services; o implementing measures to combat unemployment in the community; o promoting the development of small business; o construction and operation of local roads; o resolving issues of collection, transportation, utilization and disposal of waste. All of them scored at least 3.8 points. Thus, experts chose the reform of housing and communal services in the socio-economic sphere as the highest priority topic for future policy in the city. In the humanitarian sphere, the problems of № 1 are: o ensuring preschool education, functioning of preschool children's institutions, updating their material and technical base; o implementing measures for social protection and social security of children, youth, women, families, and other categories of the population (social programs); o improving the level of school education in the community, modernizing schools, computerization, updating the material and technical base; o measures for the rehabilitation of people with special needs and providing them with full-fledged infrastructure (for example, ramps); o support and development of libraries (regional specialized, for children and youth), etc. The top five of these problems were rated at no less than 3.1 points. In both spheres, no problem was rated as excellent. About a third of respondents believe that the most important topic of the future city in the humanitarian sphere is the topic of education. During the survey, public experts could suggest to the future city mayor exactly what steps and where he would need to take. During the evaluation of Lutsk's housing and communal services sphere, the following proposals were noted: to maximally promote the creation of condominiums (OSBB), to conduct lustration in the housing and communal services, as well as to deprive it of all control functions and clearly monitor its expenditures. Experts also wished that the future city authorities would promote the creation of autonomous heating for the population and equal competition conditions for private business in the housing and communal services sphere. Experts consider the following to be real steps in improving the socio-economic situation of Lutsk: equal rights for all entrepreneurs in the provision of communal property and land plots, tourism development, city greening, restoration of airport operations, creation of a shelter for the homeless, liquidation of the old market, reduction of the load on the city's central roads, organization of garbage utilization and construction of a waste processing plant. Regarding the humanitarian policy of the future authorities, experts would like improvements in the following issues: control over the quality of medical services, an increase in kindergartens, strengthening of social protection, improvement of education through improving the material base of educational institutions, combating corruption, construction of a swimming pool for professional athletes, implementation of the "Social Card" program, etc. In order for such initiatives to be heard by local officials, according to experts, such a form of influence on the formation and implementation of policy by the community as local referendums should be used. As for the evaluation of the pre-election programs of the parties that nominated candidates to the city council, experts rated the programs of the "Batkivshchyna" All-Ukrainian Union and the "Our Ukraine" party the highest. More detailed results of the expert survey are in the report (attached).
For additional information, please contact the regional representatives of the Civil Network OPORA in the Volyn region: Mykhailo Shelep, mike.shelep@gmail.com, 067-4165086 Dmytro Bezverbnyi, dimair@ukr.net, 097-3834582 Mariia Domanska, masha_do@ukr.net, 093-8737280
Reference: Conducting an expert survey is one of the first steps within the framework of the Public Democratic Monitoring Campaign conducted by the All-Ukrainian Public Network OPORA. The next stages of the campaign will be a video survey of city residents and public debates with the participation of candidates. The entire campaign will consist of an election and a post-election component. The task of the first stage will be an independent study of community needs and discussion of the results with candidates and political parties. During the implementation of the second component, OPORA will monitor the first 100 days of government. Within this period, the provision of the region's needs by the people's elected representatives through the fulfillment of practical tasks will be analyzed. The Civil Network OPORA and its regional partners will carry out monitoring in 15 regional centers, including the city of Lutsk. The attention of public monitors will be focused on the elections of city council deputies and the city mayor, as well as the actions of the city authorities after the elections.