Different forms of working with citizens' appeals allow us to keep our finger on the pulse of the regions – Vladimir Penin
According to him, the local government and self-government bodies of the Vitebsk region have always strived to build their work based on a feedback mechanism. "This is truly important for solving the large-scale tasks that we face today. And they are primarily related to improving the standard and quality of life of people in the regions. Therefore, the decisions made and being made are centered around the person, based on direct dialogue with them," noted Vladimir Penin.
This work is of particular importance to local executive and administrative bodies. Meetings with citizens in work collectives and at their place of residence have become a dominant feature of their activities. In order to strengthen the authorities' work with the population, since September 2020, this form has acquired a new facet in the Vitebsk region: the leadership of the region and its districts participates in such meetings daily. Unified information days are systemic. Almost 2.6 thousand information and propaganda groups participate in this work. In the first half of 2021, they held 22.3 thousand meetings, during which over 6.2 thousand issues were resolved, and 47 are under control and are being considered in accordance with the law.
Another effective tool for working with citizens on various legal issues has been the activity of the regional group for legal education, whose visits are organized monthly to work collectives.
The format of dialogue platforms has been established for discussing the prospects for the development of the country and the region, stated Vladimir Penin:
- Practice shows that this type of discussion allows us to hear proposals from the grassroots, the hopes and aspirations of our people, which subsequently becomes the basis for making balanced management decisions. In particular, 635 dialogue platforms were held in the region, with 14.7 thousand people participating.
“Therefore, undoubtedly, the widespread use of all forms of working with people allows us to keep our finger on the pulse of socio-political and socio-economic life in the regions,” stated the Deputy Chairman of the regional executive committee. He also emphasized that in this regard, executive committees at all levels are focused on developing territories, directly participating in solving various issues of public life support, and taking additional measures to protect the rights and legitimate interests of citizens and legal entities.
Speaking about the Vitebsk region, all this together contributed to the formation of a trend in the region towards a decrease in the number of appeals addressed to representatives of the executive authorities.
As Vladimir Penin informed the participants of the meeting, in the first half of the year, the Vitebsk regional executive committee, city and district executive committees, administrations of Vitebsk districts, and rural executive committees received more than 21 thousand appeals, which is 169 less than the previous year. From legal entities – 68 appeals (a decrease of 36%). These appeals concerned land management and land use, housing stock and housing and communal services, and trade.
The most frequent appeals to the regional executive committee come from residents of Vitebsk, Shumilino, Braslav, Dubrovno, Orsha, and Senno districts. The most common topics of problems raised by the population concern the work of housing and communal services, architecture and construction, housing stock, land use and land management, transport and road management. An increase in appeals is noted regarding entrepreneurial activities, improvement of housing conditions, the functioning of the housing and communal services system, individual housing construction, and family capital. At the same time, the number of appeals on issues of the agro-industrial complex, land management, trade, healthcare, environmental protection, etc., has decreased.
The number of repeated appeals from citizens to the regional executive committee decreased by 7% to 47. At the same time, following a thorough analysis, they were not recognized as justified. The number of collective appeals from citizens decreased by 33% (97 were received). Their main range of issues is related to the repair of housing stock, the maintenance of the street and road network of settlements, and the reorganization of the region's education system.
Personal receptions of citizens and legal entities, and "direct telephone lines" are held on a systematic basis by the leadership of the regional executive committee and all levels of local government. During the reporting period, the leadership of the regional executive committee received 31 citizens at personal receptions, and the leadership of city and district executive committees received 1.1 thousand. The absolute majority of the issues received are resolved locally. The "direct telephone line" to the leadership of the regional executive committee received 273 calls from the public. People were concerned about housing and communal services (57%), road management (8%), healthcare and transport (5% each). As a result of the review, requests for 58 appeals were satisfied.
In 2021, the regional executive committee's hotline received 137 inquiries of a reference and advisory nature. They were sent for response measures and put under control.
Work with citizens' appeals is under constant control by higher authorities. Control measures are regularly carried out, which allows for the development of measures to improve the effectiveness of work with citizens and eliminate shortcomings in this work.
Vladimir Penin paid special attention to the participation of the deputy corps in working with the population, which operates within a unified system with executive authorities. Such a mechanism allows for more balanced decisions and has a significant impact on resolving incoming issues.
According to him, in their work with citizens, deputies are constantly improving and seeking new approaches. Conferences and "round tables" with representatives of various social groups and the public are increasingly used in practice. To resolve pressing issues more promptly, deputies have become more active on social networks and messengers. The "Deputy Mail" has taken root in some regions. Days of work with the population have become firmly established in practice. Such a form of work as regional deputy meetings is also developing, during which various aspects of the Councils' activities are considered for solving the pressing problems of the population and the contribution of people's elected representatives to the development of the regions.
The Deputy Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee provided specific examples of working with citizens' appeals in the Vitebsk region. Thus, during 2020 and the current year, the problem of water drainage to the Svezha agro-town on Molodezhnaya Street was solved in the Beshenkovichi village council, woody and shrubby vegetation and hazardous trees were removed in the Raduki and Troyany settlements, and the cemetery in the Dolgoe-2 settlement was improved. In the Volevkovsky village council of the Dubrovensky district, a bus stop for students was installed in the village of Volevki, and the civil cemetery in the Lyady agro-town was put in order. A chapel with a canopy was built there, hazardous trees were removed, a metal profile fence was installed, a road to the cemetery was covered with gravel, and a parking lot was equipped.
In the Udalo agro-town of the Gluboksky district, a significant issue for the residents of this settlement was resolved: a de-ironing station was launched, and natural gas was supplied to consumers' homes in the village of Meretskiye. In the Uzrechsky village council of the same district, streets were covered with gravel and graded in the settlements of Khromye, Lesniki, and Romanchuki.
A considerable number of measures have been taken to solve the pressing problems of the residents of Disna (Miory district).
Summing up, Vladimir Penin emphasized that the state and society are allies in achieving common goals, the main one being the growth of the well-being of our citizens:
- This modern Belarusian model of regional development was dictated by the President of the Republic of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko. Constructive, meaningful, respectful dialogue between authorities of various levels and representatives of society is always necessary and, undoubtedly, extremely useful. After all, sometimes a person just needs to be heard, talked to, to have the essence of their everyday circumstances understood, and to be helped.
"To respond sensitively, promptly, and, importantly, effectively to people's everyday problems, situations where they face injustice, sometimes formalism, infringement of their legal rights in various spheres – this is an indicator of efficiency," concluded Vladimir Penin.