The constitutional basis of local government is laid in Ukraine. However the development of the local government was actually carried out only at the level of territorial communities of cities of regional importance (with few exceptions). The vast majority of local communities due to the fragmentation and weak material basis are unable to perform their power and the system of local government does not provide the actual needs of the majority of the Ukrainian society.
On the 1st of April, 2014 the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the Concept of reforming of local authorities and territorial organization of power in Ukraine, according to which the main objectives of the administrative and territorial reform is defined:
- ensuring of the accessibility and quality of public services;
- achieving of the optimal distribution of the power between local authorities and executive authorities;
- the definition of the reasonable territorial foundation for the activity of local authorities and executive authorities with the aim of ensuring the accessibility and proper quality of public services provided by such authorities;
- the creation of appropriate material, financial and organizational conditions to ensure the compliance by the local authorities their own and delegated power.
Public services must be provided according to state standards taking into account territorial accessibility (a provision of services within the community, where people live), proper material and technical base for provision of basic forms of public services (local authorities must have at its disposal suitable premises and infrastructure), openness of information about services, procedure and conditions of their provision and the professionalism of their provision.
An accessibility and proper quality of public services is ensured by the optimal distribution of the power between local authorities and executive authorities at various levels of administrative and territorial structure according to the principles of subsidiary and decentralization.
Local authorities of the basic level are being given the power according to their human, financial, infrastructural capacity and resources on the new territorial basis.
According to the Ministry of regional development, construction and housing and communal services of Ukraine places of provision of the number of important services – administrative, social assistance through territorial centers, firefighters, law enforcement, sanitary-epidemiological service, etc. – will be moved from regional centers to the administrative centers of capable communities.
According to the Concept, main powers of local authorities of the basic level will be:
- ensuring of the local economic development (attraction of investment, development of entrepreneurship);
- the development of the local infrastructure, in particular roads, water, heat, gas, electricity services and sewerage, information networks, social and cultural objects;
- the planning of the development of the territory of the community;
- the issues of the territory development (land allocation, provision of construction permits, acceptance into operation of buildings);
- landscaping;
- the provision of housing and communal services (centralized water supply, heat supply and sewerage, removal and disposal of waste, maintenance of houses and constructions, adjacent territories of municipal property);
- organization of passenger transportation at the territory of the community;
- the maintenance of streets and roads in settlements;
- ensuring of the public safety;
- extinguishing of fires;
- management of institutions of secondary, preschool and extracurricular education;
- emergency services, primary health care, prevention of diseases;
- the development of culture and physical culture (maintenance and organization of the work of the houses of culture, clubs, libraries, stadiums, sport grounds);
- the provision of social assistance through territorial centers;
- the provision of administrative services through the centers of provision of such services.
According to the Ministry of regional construction, in case of the lack of premises or other infrastructure for provision of all essential services communities will be assisted from the State budget for their acquisition or construction – that’s why the presence of the existing infrastructure in the Center is an important factor of the effectiveness of the administrative and territorial reform at the territory.
The aim of the study is to assess the presence/absence of infrastructure in rural and village Centers, identified by the certain Prospective plan of the formation of capable communities of the Lviv region, as well as identified in the result of voluntary joint of communities after the adoption of the Prospective plan by the Lviv regional Council. That is educational, health, cultural infrastructure, as well as the presence of post offices and banks, fire and rescue units and local points of militia. For the research a public information from the official websites of state authorities and local authorities and Partnership “Oschadbank” and “Ukrpochta” was used.