Helsingin kaupunginvaltuuston 2013–2016 itsearviointikyselyn tulokset

Preface

The City Council is the highest decision-making authority of the City of Helsinki, handling many important matters of residents’ everyday life and urban development. During the Council term of office 2013–2016 now reaching the end, councillors have faced major decisions on matters such as balancing the city’s economy, approving a new master plan for the city, whether or not to have a Guggenheim museum built, the subjective right to child day care and the reform of the City of Helsinki’s governance and administration. In many cases, decisions have not been easy, and debate in the Council has been lively.

The present study report presents how councillors themselves have experienced the Council’s working culture, procedures, means of influencing, and the administrative preparation of decisions during the ending Council term. The report is a sequel to a self-assessment survey that councillors have had the opportunity to answer every Council term – now for the fifth time – and that has yielded important information about the work of the Helsinki City Council and about the working conditions of the Council.

Findings point at many successes, but they also bring up matters that need to be developed in terms of time use of councillors, their means of influencing, the transparency of administrative decision preparation, and resident inclusion. When eventually election results are ready and the new Council gets down to work, it is a good idea to look at these development needs so as to be even better able to improve the Council’s means of influencing and the conditions for successful council work.

Helsinki, April 2017
Katja Vilkama
Research Director

Publication Information

Idström, A. (2017), Helsingin kaupunginvaltuuston 2013–2016 itsearviointikyselyn tulokset, Study Reports 2017/2, City of Helsinki Urban Facts.