Dear Fellow Citizens,
Allow me to present to you the Programme Statement of the Borough Council of Prague 2, approved by the Council on 22 February 2011, a full 106 days after it was elected. It is an important document in which you can find the main programmatic goals of the coalition of political parties represented on the Council of the Borough of Prague 2: the Civic Democratic Party, the Czech Social Democratic Party, and the Green Party. This means that each coalition party attempted to ensure that as much as possible of their electoral platform would be in the Programme Statement. All of the parties involved agreed that the main and decisive condition for the Statement is that it would have an internal logic and integrity. That is why, as is usual in politics, the product entails compromises that were acceptable to all parties and that do not directly contradict the electoral platform of any of the coalition parties.
The Programme Statement touches on all areas over which municipal governments have some control. The order of the chapters does not in any way indicate the order of importance of those areas. All of them are equally important. Of essence are the individual goals stated in the Programme Statement that the Borough Council of Prague 2 undertakes to meet during its four-year term. Thus, the reader can obtain a comprehensive overview of the conduct of local governance in the Borough of Prague 2.
This document is not merely a formal statement. It is a fundamental political proclamation that contains specific tasks. That is why the Borough Council of Prague 2 has decided to publish this Programme Statement on its website and to update each task from time to time with the specific steps that have been taken, so that the public can keep tabs on the local government’s fulfilment of the agenda throughout the electoral term.
The motto of the Programme Statement of the Council of the Borough of Prague 2 for the 2010 - 2014 electoral term is this: an efficient, socially-mindful, and environmental approach to everything that local government influences. Probably the most difficult undertaking is the proposed sale of some of the borough's assets. The rate of growth in rent is the main cause of the relocation of long-term inhabitants of Prague 2. We are witnessing a very adverse phenomenon that plagues practically all large European cities and which results in city centres being without residents. The main goal of the sale of the borough’s assets is to stabilise at least some of the existing residents such that this unforgiving process would at least be retarded. Unfortunately, it is not within the powers of the local government of the Borough of Prague 2 to stop it. Borough representatives have control only over approximately 15 percent of residential properties, but even there, the rapid increase in rents caused that unfortunate exodus.
Other measures presented by the Borough Council of Prague 2 to its inhabitants focus primarily on the transparency of all of the processes carried out by the administration of the Borough of Prague 2. Corruption is in direct opposition to the free competition of opinions, offers, and suggestions. And this free competition is the sole engine that can move a democratic society forward. That is why fighting corruption is an existential issue for us. Of high importance are also security measures. Only democratic political parties and the representatives of a civic association are represented in the Assembly of the Borough of Prague 2. All those entities place individual liberty at the top of the hierarchy of values. The inhabitants of Prague 2 can only be free if they feel safe in the place they work and live.
The reader will find many specific measures related to social care for fellow citizens who are handicapped or seniors, education, and also the environment and transport. The Borough Council of Prague 2 undertakes to build hospice beds at the Social Services Centre. Of note are definitely additional measures to combat the adverse impact of rent increases. Young parents will certainly welcome the undertaking to build a new day-care centre in the New Town. The Borough Council of Prague 2 wants to carry on in the specialisation of primary schools, such as to ensure as comprehensive an offer of educational processes for children from Prague 2 as possible, enabling children to have well-rounded personal development. As concerns the environment, the main issue is the continuation of the renovation of all green areas in Prague 2. Worth mentioning is also the undertaking in the sphere of transport that consists of a further calming down of traffic on the trunk-way, the "Magistrala", that is, on Sokolovská Street and especially Legerova Street.
I have only mentioned a few of the fundamental measures that will lead to a further improvement in the quality of the lives of the inhabitants of Prague 2, but far from all of them. Dear fellow inhabitants, I trust that you will find a moment to read the Programme Statement of the Borough Council of Prague 2 through to 2014, will find at least something that is of concern to you, and will welcome the solutions offered.
Yours,
Ing. Jiří Paluska
Mayor of the Borough of Prague 2