Closed survey “population satisfaction with life in Rezekne municipality”

“….. If the municipality does not begin to think about promoting and supporting entrepreneurship, then, not too far in the future, the main cultural events in some areas of the municipality will be a grave,” -- one of the respondents to the Citizens' Survey organised by the municipality of Rezekne in autumn 2014. In the period from 1 September to 1 November 2014, the municipality of Rezekne carried out a survey of the views of the population with the survey “satisfaction of the population with life in Rezekne District” published on the website of the municipality. 148 respondents (103 women, 45 men, average age of 38.1 years) participated in the survey, who expressed their views on the services available in the municipality's territory, events and projects implemented in the municipality of Rezekne.
In the framework of the survey “satisfaction of the population with life in Rezekne District”, residents had to answer 13 questions, expressing their opinion on the quality of services provided by the local government and the measures implemented in the territory, the effectiveness of projects directly in the view of the population.
The results of the survey were collected and reflect the following prevailing views of the population in each of the questionnaires:
1. Say, in your opinion, three good things - the most interesting events or the most successful projects that have occurred in any sector in the Rēzekne municipality over the last 2 years!

Among all respondents' replies, Figure 1 illustrates the most popular responses, or answers that have been mentioned by at least 5 respondents. The information collected in the picture shows the undoubtedly popular Rēzekne Municipality Day tradition (35%), the significant projects for improvement of local government buildings and infrastructure quality, attracting EU funding (17%), as well as the popularity of the first organised aviation day (12%) and the first organised aviation day (9%) in Rezekne.
2. What do you think of the three main problems that should be dealt with first and foremost?
 
Among all respondents' replies, Figure 2 illustrates the most popular responses that have been mentioned by at least 5 respondents. The most important problem that concerns the population is unemployment (34%) and the need for active entrepreneurship promotion measures (17%). The outstanding rural roads (27%) and the creation of a favourable living environment in rural areas (9%) are important problems for the population.
3. How do you assess the quality of services provided by the municipality and the quality of the services available in general in the following areas?

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
From the results of the survey, it can be concluded that the most people are satisfied with education services (choice – satisfaction and rather satisfaction) – 84.41 TP1T, while the lowest level of satisfaction is for health care services (optional and rather satisfactory) – 53.31 TP1T.
4. What improvements do you think would be necessary in the area of education, public order, security, health, social issues, cultural and sports services?
The people in their replies mainly stressed the need to improve the quality of services in the various areas. Strategic proposals were also made:
• in the field of education:
– the provision of educational institutions' technical base, building, infrastructure repairs; -- to support and promote research on the history of county parish, popularize the Latin language, use in directions and stencils in the Latgalian language;
-- kindergartens should be given to working parents at available times;
-- a youth case coordinator is required in each parish;
-- establishment of free time centres for children and young people;
-- to organise a specialised, children-based medical care bus where the doctors of different specialities are available;
-- in secondary school training business with practical exchanges of experience in enterprises, promoting both interest in entrepreneurship and the development of rural entrepreneurs in the municipality.
• in the area of public order and security:
- village cooperatives formed by the village neighbour according to Swedish experience;
-- the reception of the polling inspectors at least once a week;
-- transmission of council committees and meetings on the Internet;
-- there is a need for the establishment of a municipal police, as the state police are not able to travel by parish enough.
• in the field of health care:
– the availability of family doctors in holidays;
-- in the parish it is necessary to restore the visits of the family doctor at least 1 month;
-- public transport must be able to get to Rēzekne in the morning at the doctors and get home.
• In the field of social services:
-- the beneficiaries of social benefits would have to carry out a public service and only then benefit from the benefit;
-- social issues are dealt with by a system of benefits which does not necessarily solve the situation, but merely aggravates the fact that citizens do not want to seek employment or develop their own farm, it is easier to receive benefits and be able to pay for meadows;
-- requires mobile brigades with the opportunity to perform at the pensioners by cleaning the house by washing the laundry, bringing the products, medicine etc.;
-- dental office visits to parish;
-- pensioners' evening parish and parish excursions.
 • in the field of culture and sport:
-- the development of collective material base of cultural houses and the improvement of the quality of events; - -- to determine the same amount of money in each parish for the purchase of new books in a library;
-- to develop the culture of Latgale podiers at international level;
-- to organise creative workshops where there is a chance to learn and develop specific skills;
-- build a modern sports hall and a swimming pool in Rogovka;
-- more frequent handling of sporting events, not only in summer but also in other seasons;
-- involve young people in organising, consulting and identifying their wishes;
-- organize skiing with ski hire.
 5. How do you assess the quality and availability of transport infrastructure?

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The quality of local government streets and road maintenance works does not satisfy 51% respondents, while it is considered satisfactory IN 48%. Street lighting in most cases is satisfied WITH 53%, however, the level of dissatisfaction is relatively high - 43%. The indicator of population satisfaction with public transport services is higher than the level of dissatisfaction – 49% and 42% respectively. The same proportion of respondents considers the maintenance of national roads both satisfactory and unsatisfactory – 48% in both cases. The majority of respondents, or 58 %, consider traffic safety in the area as satisfactory.
6. What improvements do you think would be necessary in transport infrastructure services in the municipality?
In the view of respondents, the most important improvements in the transport sector would be:
• to adapt the schedules of the public transport movement to the needs of the population - the time of coach and bus is not suitable for entering/leaving the workplace in Rezekne; the capacity of unintelligent public transport buses (disproportionately overcrowded and practically empty buses); the buses are too slow – 2 hours must be taken from the distance of the municipality to Rezekne; the timetable of the movement must be reconciled with the timetable of the train movement; it is not possible to return home after the cultural events at the late evening; the bus routes must include not only the village of the parish centre but the outermost villages; the arrival of the population from the remote villages in the parish centre – 56 respondents.
• Improving road coverage and infrastructure quality - regular, timely road repairs need to be carried out; there is a need to increase the number of asphalted roads; there is no indication of tourism objects; there is a lack of cycling, sidewalk at least parish centres; first of all, the main tourist paths, which are a business card of 47 respondents.
• Traffic safety improvements - in populated areas, especially at schools, need to install “sleeping policemen” because the police are too rare in rural areas; the parish centres need street lighting, sidewalk, cycling, road safety barriers – 23 respondents.
• The regularity of road maintenance works - in winter - more often the roads are to be cleaned, in summer – more often to be graded; the roadside should be adjusted regularly, the bus stops, the road signs, the indication, the dangerous trees must be removed – 23 respondents.
regular informing of the public regarding the financing spent on repairs and maintenance of the road, the work performed – 5 respondents.
• Developing innovative solutions – building the charging infrastructure required for electric bicycles; necessary cycling and pedestrian sidewalk, Viping-Sprudzev, linu factory-Greychen, northern Rēzekne district – Sondori; cycling in active tourist areas, such as from Kaunatas to junction at Lake Razna; setting up information stands in Latgalian language – 3 respondents.
7. How do you assess the quality of the municipal services provided and available by the municipality?

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Since district heating is provided to a relatively small number of residents - residents of parish centres for residential homes, then 49% respondents do not have a view in this matter. The majority of respondents, or 52%, are generally satisfied with water supply and sewerage services, almost 80% respondents are satisfied with the use of cemetery cleaning works in the municipality. In most cases, the population is also covered by waste management (70%) and the green area in the municipality (65%).
 
8. What improvements do you think would be necessary in the area of utilities?
In the view of respondents, the most important improvements in the area of utilities would be:
• It is necessary to regulate the area of utilities in the municipality, so that the citizens have access to comprehensive information on all the services available in the municipality parish, their prices and price-forming factors, as the situation in the parish is very different; it is necessary to control local government regarding the quality of utilities and the real costs; sanctions should be applied to abusive non-payers who are not being executed and controlled – 24 respondents.
• Improving water supply and sewerage services – it is necessary to improve the quality of water in many villages by reconstructing the water supply system by deforestation and adding new users from private houses – 22 respondents.
• Improving waste management: the removal of waste is not regulated; many farms have not concluded waste disposal agreements; it is necessary to introduce waste sorting, taking over THE experience of Maltas parish; in practice, the punishment of non-malicious waste contracts is not operational - 21 respondents.
the improvement of green public areas, clustering – more must be built for the resting of the population in landscape-attractive, well-equipped green areas, by regular copying and collection of waste; work with slum owners should be activated, motivating the removal of environmental degradation and life-threatening buildings – 17 respondents.
• Activation of multi-apartment buildings – raising owners' awareness of management possibilities, their responsibility for managing their property and attracting EU funding to repairs of buildings – 10 respondents.
• to ensure the management of cemetery areas - many cemeteries require the installation of water sampling sites, toilets, waste containers, renovation of fences, regular cutting of overgrown and broken trees; it is desirable to install graveyard names and references to graveyard 7 respondents.
• innovative solutions - electronic e-invoicing for those who have e-mail; support for the installation of the aka in a single-seat; to gradually raise the possibilities for the use of light energy; for each graveyard, a manager or a guardian who will monitor the cleaning work carried out in it could be introduced; establish the most convenient fields in the nomination of the municipality – 6 respondents.
9. What support for rural entrepreneurs do you think is the most necessary?
Respondents assessed the relevance of the aid options offered by the municipality from the point of view of rural entrepreneurs, placing the most important form of support in place 1.


As the three most necessary forms of support for rural entrepreneurs, which can be provided by the local government, the majority of respondents called - financial support for business start-ups, consultancy in business matters closer to the place of residence, as well as the promotion of the production of the production produced by organising trade opportunities in the city of Rezekne.
10. Do you think another form of support for rural entrepreneurs?
A summary of the opinion of the respondents showed the following main types of support which the municipality should offer:
• creation of business support points in rural areas, offering broad spectrum support to local entrepreneurs – special attention should be paid to the education of young people for business start-ups; experience sharing activities; business needs survey; training, seminar, consultancy offer; assistance in preparation of project applications; local government estate and land supply; attraction of veterinary specialists, machinery leasing services – 33 respondents.
• production, service outlet improvement measures - production of cooperatives for the production of manufactured products; rural benefit shop, exhibition-fairs in Rezekne; internetshop; section Rēzekne municipality and Latgale region website with local producer contacts; local production as a municipality presentation souvenirs; cooperation of local farmers with educational institutions for the purchase of food products, local shops, tourism entrepreneurs; promotion of local producers in the Days of Rezekne municipality, etc.
financial support – co-financing measures for grants and projects on preferential rules for start-up, development; co-financing to support local product production or service provision - 24 respondents.
tax discounts and lower bureaucratic requirements - tax discounts in the first 3 years of business start-ups - 20 respondents.
• information support – organisation of seminars, training, consultancy business activities in both parish and Rezekne; improvement of the circulation of information, disseminating it more in the newspaper “Rezekne Ambassador”; to publish more information on land, building leasing and project opportunities in the website – 15 respondents.
• innovative solutions: educating entrepreneurs about social networking opportunities; building entrepreneurs - beginners' clubs; building local businesses for the supply of schools, kindergartens and other institutions with food; making bundles of complex offers in e-shop (recreational + purchase of local products in the municipality) – 3 respondents.
11. Which sources of information do you use most to get information about the municipal activity?
The respondents most commonly use the website of the municipality, the newspaper “Rezekne Ambassador” and the municipal newspaper - “Rēzekne District news”.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
12. How do you assess the competence and responsiveness of the local government?

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The majority of respondents are satisfied with both the competence of the local government staff and the responsiveness: at the level of Members – 58.71 TP1T, at the management level of the council – 70.31 TP1T, at the level of the administration staff – 68.91 TP1T, at the level of parish management – 72.31 TP1T, at the level of parish employees – 75.71 TP1T.
13. What improvements in the quality of service of the population do you think should be introduced in the municipality?
The most important improvements in the view of respondents would be:
• Improving communication culture and professionalism – observance and adaptation of the working time of the local government to the working people, extending/shortening the working day in certain days of the week; meeting of the general meeting in evening after working time; clearly defining the issues to be dealt with in the parish and administration, informing about it; a more convenient communication; raising the level of professionalism and responsibility of the employees, reporting on the work carried out; it is necessary to organise the visits of the Members, the officials of the administration of the administration by parish accepting and listening to the population; implementation of the “proposal box” in the administration; meeting of the population meeting at least 3 times a year in each parish, inviting the various specialists – 53 respondents.
• Provision of essential services for citizens, improvement – the working time of postal departments needs to be adapted to the working population; needs for repair services of clothing, electrical equipment etc. in rural areas; development of Internet coverage services; development of e-services; development of business advice; increased access to support; establishment of municipal police; support for young people; housing fund for young families; enrichment of the Latgalian language in the design of trade, event sites; activation of peripheral people in rural parish centres; activation of public advisory councils - 22 respondents.
• Improving access to information – the development of the website (more information, the possibility of applying for news, commenting, detailed description of each employee's responsibility, each parish work carried out and planned works by year and funding amounts); explanation of binding rules in parish meetings; more frequent meetings of residents to inform about news in all areas; more often, and in the largest turgage, issue the newspaper “Rezekne District news” and make it available in each mailbox – 18 respondents.
The municipality of Rezekne thanked the people for their activity and creativity in expressing the proposals! Your proposals will serve as a basis for the gradual improvement of local government services, the development of new projects and the creation of traditions of events in our municipality!
Survey results collected
Brigita Arbidane
Rezekne Municipality Development Planning Division Territorial Planner