Better, but far from optimistic. Local government after a year of coalition rule October 15

• In 2024, communes and cities with county rights gained a little more independence.
• There is still no obligation to comprehensively assess the impact of each act on the situation of local governments.
• Following the coalition’s victory on 15 October, the number of complaints from local governments against supervisory decisions of voivodes increased by 15% compared to 2023, while the percentage of decisions overturned by courts remained at over 30%.

The results of a study conducted by experts from the Batory Foundation indicate that in 2024, municipalities and cities with county rights gained a little more independence . The system of indicators developed by experts from the Batory Foundation - the Self-Government Index - increased from 47.79 points out of 100 possible in 2023 to 52.55 in 2024. However, this does not mean that local authorities have regained the powers taken away from them by the central level during the PiS government .

The Batory Foundation study showed that there were no significant changes in legislation extending the autonomy of local government over the past year. The overall value of the index returned to approximately the level of 2022, but this is the result of the Joint Government and Local Government Commission being treated more seriously in the legislative process. Both the systemic power and the task independence of local government - two of the three indicators that make up the Self-Government Index - remained unchanged, and the financial autonomy of communes and cities with county rights even worsened.

The 2024 Self-Government Index, published by the Batory Foundation, was developed by a team of researchers: Dr. Agnieszka Kopańska, Dr. hab. Marta Lackowska, Dr. Radomir Matczak, Dr. Justyna Przedańska and Dr. hab. Dawid Sześciło.

Experts assessed the efficiency of local government in three areas:

• Task and financial potential

In terms of task autonomy, 2024 did not bring any significant changes. On the one hand, we can speak of a halt in the recentralization trend, but on the other – there are no reforms strengthening the autonomy of municipalities in the eleven local policies covered by the study.

The indicator showing the financial potential of local governments has decreased . The decreasing role of own revenues was accompanied by a slight increase in expenditure independence, mainly due to higher revenues from personal income tax and the introduction of part of the development subsidy.

There are still problems with money for current operations - as many as 183 municipalities and 15 cities showed an operating deficit. The actual debt capacity of local governments is decreasing.

The year 2024 was another year in which the share of local government units in total public expenditure remained below 30% and had a downward trend. This confirms the decreasing importance of local governments in the implementation of public tasks.

- notes Agnieszka Kopańska, one of the authors of the Self-Government Index.

The year 2024 brought a small improvement in the indicator showing the political power of local government. This was due to the government ceasing the express processing of legal acts. Fewer acts were passed bypassing the Joint Government and Territorial Self-Government Commission, and the parliamentary bills, although there were fewer of them, were submitted for opinion by local government organizations represented in the Joint Government and Territorial Self-Government Commission . However, in the Sejm Regulations amended in July 2024, the members of parliament did not strengthen the position of local government units in the legislative process, e.g. they did not introduce the obligation to comprehensively assess the impact of each act on the situation of local governments.

In 2024, the government's discretion in granting subsidies under the Strategic Investment Program was maintained, from which approximately PLN 27 billion was transferred to local governments. Unfortunately, as in previous years, there was no possibility of appealing against the decision

- says Justyna Przedańska, co-author of the Self-Government Index.

The replacement of voivodes after the coalition's victory on October 15 did not improve government supervision over local government units .

The issues of constitutional review of the law concerning local governments remain unresolved.

The legal security of local governments will not be restored until the situation in the Constitutional Tribunal and the status of so-called neo-judges are sorted out

- emphasizes Dawid Sześciło, co-author of the Self-Government Index.

The self-government index has returned above the alarm level, i.e. exceeded 50 points, but it is still far from optimism.

As you can see, restoring more partnership-based government-local government relations is no guarantee of systemic decentralization changes. And local government needs reforms that will allow for its further development.

- says Marta Lackowska, co-author of the Self-Government Index.

The authors of the 2024 Self-Government Index have developed a list of 35 proposals that, in their opinion, will unlock the potential of local communities and, at the same time, strengthen the state. They concern, among others, the need to decentralize responsibility for the implementation of public tasks, strengthen the financial foundations of local government and include residents in decision-making processes .