Munic­i­pal­i­ties are respon­si­ble for most of the deci­sions that govern how our every­day life and future look like: chil­dren and young people, fami­lies, educa­tion, ensur­ing a good and healthy life well into retire­ment, preserv­ing the local envi­ron­ment, and build­ing new pros­per­ity. In short: the task of munic­i­pal­i­ties is to guar­an­tee condi­tions where life runs smoothly with­out major bumps. And the same applies to busi­nesses.

A munic­i­pal­ity with­out jobs or busi­nesses won’t last long – nor can a munic­i­pal­ity that neglects its chil­dren expect much from the future. After the social and health care reform, the most impor­tant task for munic­i­pal­i­ties is to ensure that one can start a busi­ness, that there is enough work, and that the qual­ity of educa­tion is so good that the future is secured regard­less of where in Finland one happens to be born.

No two munic­i­pal­i­ties in Finland are alike. Each munic­i­pal­ity has its unique char­ac­ter­is­tics and with that the oppor­tu­nity to make itself attrac­tive by empha­siz­ing them. The needs of differ­ent fami­lies, couples, singles, and busi­nesses are not iden­ti­cal. Some appre­ci­ate clean nature and human-sized towns. Others want cultural offer­ings and vibrancy. For busi­nesses, access to labour, effi­cient trans­port connec­tions, smooth permit­ting processes, and a posi­tive atti­tude towards busi­nesses are impor­tant. Munic­i­pal­i­ties need to iden­tify the poten­tial resi­dent and entre­pre­neur groups that they can cater to. This is achieved with a munic­i­pal strat­egy. The National Coali­tion party ensures that the strat­egy is well formu­lated and func­tion­ing.

Discussing munic­i­pal poli­tics is not the sole right of polit­i­cal parties. On the contrary. Munic­i­pal poli­tics belong to the resi­dents, being discussed from sports club locker rooms and work­place coffee breaks to town square parlia­ments conven­ing not only at the squares but also in cafes and park benches. And that’s how it should be. The active involve­ment of resi­dents, busi­nesses, and organ­i­sa­tions enables the municipality’s vital­ity and pros­per­ity and creates the base for fund­ing it. The more busi­ness activ­ity, the more jobs. This results in more tax revenues for the munic­i­pal­ity, with which we are able fund daycare, educa­tion, and senior services and so on. When talk­ing about solu­tions to fund the munic­i­pal­i­ties with­out borrow­ing, The National Coali­tion Party has the best solu­tions.

In addi­tion to educa­tion and vital­ity, munic­i­pal­i­ties need to address numer­ous big ques­tions of our times: how do we ensure supply secu­rity and self-suffi­ciency of energy, how to combat climate change and stop biodi­ver­sity loss, and how we ensure a safe and healthy life at all stages. By making the right choices to solve these issues, munic­i­pal­i­ties and cities will uplift all of Finland.

Grow­ing econ­omy leads to a shin­ing future

The best way to ensure that a munic­i­pal­ity is a good place to live, services work, and the future looks bright is to have thriv­ing busi­nesses and high employ­ment. The role of a munic­i­pal­ity is to be an enabler of busi­nesses and pros­per­ity.

Every­where across Finland munic­i­pal­i­ties work towards achiev­ing growth: one munic­i­pal­ity attracts indus­trial invest­ments, another builds wind power, third invests in tourism, and fourth supports startup creation in collab­o­ra­tion with univer­si­ties. Entre­pre­neur­ial spirit and the abil­ity to get things done can be found all over the coun­try. The National Coali­tion Party and its coun­cil­lors work every day to build vital­ity in munic­i­pal­i­ties based on each municipality’s unique strengths.

Cities natu­rally bring together new ideas and people. Thus, they act as accel­er­a­tors of new busi­nesses, inter­na­tion­al­iza­tion, and economic growth. This posi­tively affects surround­ing munic­i­pal­i­ties, attract­ing more resi­dents, tax revenues, and new customers for local services. Larger cities and urban areas should thus be given a bigger role in boost­ing the econ­omy through employ­ment manage­ment, higher educa­tion, inno­va­tion policy, and inter­na­tion­al­iza­tion.

In smaller munic­i­pal­i­ties, the future can be built through special­iza­tion. Munic­i­pal­i­ties can focus on, for exam­ple, a partic­u­lar indus­trial sector such as agri­cul­ture or leisure activ­i­ties. Special­iza­tion should continue while ensur­ing that every munic­i­pal­ity can provide basic consti­tu­tion­ally mandated services in areas of educa­tion, busi­ness, and land use. Munic­i­pal­i­ties should attract busi­nesses to their area by empha­siz­ing their strengths and reduc­ing bureau­cracy. Together, munic­i­pal­i­ties can solve many issues that might be too chal­leng­ing for them alone. We aim to actively promote regional coop­er­a­tion in land use, services, or energy to name few exam­ples.

Rural munic­i­pal­i­ties are the heart of Finland’s secu­rity of supply. Agri­cul­ture, forestry, and the respon­si­ble and inno­v­a­tive use of natural resources are keys to pros­per­ity. The increas­ing demand for sustain­able energy and soci­ety’s grow­ing energy needs should be harnessed as enablers of economic growth. For sparsely popu­lated munic­i­pal­i­ties, renew­able energy is a signif­i­cant oppor­tu­nity for income, employ­ment, and vital­ity, which we want to support when­ever it makes sense.

A respon­si­bly managed and stable econ­omy is the foun­da­tion of every munic­i­pal­i­ty’s future. Even though the econ­omy is only a tool for build­ing well-being, the economic equa­tion does not work if revenues and expenses are not in balance. Finan­cial respon­si­bil­ity should also extend to how we tax and spend resi­dents’ hard-earned money. Rais­ing taxes and fees is always the last resort because it erodes the purchas­ing power of income. The National Coali­tion Partys’ stance is clear: we oppose increases to munic­i­pal tax, prop­erty tax, and to other munic­i­pal service fees. Instead, taxa­tion should be lowered when­ever it is econom­i­cally feasi­ble.

If entre­pre­neurs thrive, we all thrive

The role of entre­pre­neurs and busi­nesses in grow­ing a munic­i­pal­i­ty’s pros­per­ity and economic viabil­ity cannot be over­stated. Entre­pre­neurs create jobs, which bring more resi­dents, fami­lies, and the future to the munic­i­pal­ity. Entre­pre­neur­ship increases munic­i­pal tax revenues and enable our wide range of munic­i­pal services.

The munic­i­pal­ity must be able to anchor entre­pre­neurs and busi­nesses to its area. In a National Coali­tion party led munic­i­pal­ity no reason­able invest­ment fails due to zoning or exces­sive bureau­cracy. Permit processes must be quick and smooth. Munic­i­pal­i­ties should imple­ment process­ing time guar­an­tees for permit processes. Munic­i­pal­i­ties should offer permit and advi­sory services to busi­nesses through a one-stop-shop prin­ci­ple.

In its service offer­ings, the munic­i­pal­ity should consider the local econom­i­cal bene­fits of using local busi­nesses in its procure­ments. The more local busi­nesses the munic­i­pal­ity uses, the better the busi­nesses do. And the munic­i­pal­ity as a result.

A clear path from educa­tion to work

Belief in the future goes hand in hand with personal liveli­hood. The National Coali­tion Party wants every able-bodied person to find mean­ing­ful work and income. Now that the respon­si­bil­ity of employ­ment services has shifted to munic­i­pal­i­ties, munic­i­pal­i­ties have a great oppor­tu­nity to orga­nize them in collab­o­ra­tion with local busi­nesses and providers of voca­tional educa­tion. This trio of munic­i­pal­ity, busi­ness and educa­tion is the right mix to ensure that the work­force needs of busi­ness-sector and vari­ous employ­ment service paths meet and that the right persons are found for unfilled jobs.

Differ­ent age groups and educa­tional back­grounds need very differ­ent services. The best solu­tion for local vital­ity is for jobs and the work­force to find each other, regard­less of whether they are brought together by a private or munic­i­pal oper­a­tor.

Educa­tion shapes Finland’s future

The Finnish school system is a global success story. It is the task of munic­i­pal­i­ties and cities to ensure that every­one has an equal oppor­tu­nity to grow, learn, and build their own life. The National Coali­tion Party wants to ensure that educa­tion is acces­si­ble to every­one and that the qual­ity of educa­tion from early child­hood to secondary educa­tion is excel­lent.

Every munic­i­pal­ity, either alone or together with a neigh­bour­ing munic­i­pal­ity, must provide chil­dren and young people with an equal and high-qual­ity educa­tion path.

It all starts with good early child­hood educa­tion. Qual­ity early child­hood educa­tion provides a good foun­da­tion for later stages of school. The National Coali­tion Partys’ long-term goal is to extend pre-primary educa­tion to two years and ensure that every child partic­i­pates in early child­hood educa­tion by the age of three. When enter­ing early child­hood educa­tion, it must also be of high qual­ity. The compe­tence and require­ments of the staff must be main­tained. Parents should have the free­dom to choose a private early child­hood educa­tion place, and the munic­i­pal­ity should provide a service voucher for this.

A healthy and safe school is a basic right for every­one. The school must be a safe place from the begin­ning of educa­tion, and bully­ing must be addressed imme­di­ately. Primary school should be a place for learn­ing. Schools must offer a wide range of volun­tary subjects, teach­ers must be able to focus on teach­ing and students on learn­ing. This requires appro­pri­ate group sizes, suffi­cient indi­vid­ual support in learn­ing, and tools for address­ing disrup­tive behav­iour and bully­ing. Schools must have enough psychol­o­gists and social work­ers avail­able to offer low-thresh­old support. Chil­dren should be provided with qual­ity morn­ing and after­noon activ­i­ties.

Lessons should not be spent chas­ing e-ciga­rettes, phones, or other distrac­tions. When teach­ers have clear means and author­ity to address disrup­tive behav­iour, it creates an oppor­tu­nity for all students to focus on learn­ing with­out inter­rup­tions. Teach­ers’ opin­ions should be heard in primary school prac­tises at large, for exam­ple by them having a say in the choice between paper and digi­tal teach­ing mate­ri­als.

Chil­dren start­ing school do not always start from the same base­line when they begin their stud­ies. The goal of primary school is to provide suffi­cient read­ing and writ­ing skills and a basic under­stand­ing of soci­etal func­tion­ing so that life after school proceeds with­out major hitches. We propose the intro­duc­tion of a liter­acy goal in primary school. If the liter­acy goal or other acad­e­mic objec­tives prove too chal­leng­ing for a student, there should be an option to repeat the school year with­out the stigma of being a “bad” student. The goal of the school is not unifor­mity but provid­ing the neces­sary skills.

The aim is for the entire age group to complete a secondary educa­tion after primary school. Upon tran­si­tion­ing to secondary educa­tion, one should be able to trust that upper secondary schools or voca­tional train­ing will provide the skills needed to succeed in life.

The grow­ing chal­lenges of student well-being must be met with deter­mined action. No one should grad­u­ate from upper secondary school burned out, nor be left alone with diffi­cult thoughts and expe­ri­ences. There­fore, we want to ensure that student welfare is actively support­ing students’ well-being in upper secondary schools and insti­tu­tions.

Voca­tional education’s impact on the local econ­omy is signif­i­cant. Voca­tional schools produce skilled work­ers for local busi­nesses, and they often stay in the area, foster­ing vital­ity and employ­ment. Those grad­u­at­ing from voca­tional educa­tion must possess the skills required in the work­force or in further stud­ies. Educa­tion must provide enough teach­ing and guid­ance to meet skill objec­tives. Voca­tional educa­tion should primar­ily take place through in-person teach­ing. The dropout rate in secondary educa­tion must be actively reduced.

A safe munic­i­pal­ity

Living and moving in one’s home­town should be safe, in public spaces, traf­fic, and green areas. Basic things must be in order: streets and parks should be well-lit, traf­fic safety ensured, and partic­i­pa­tion in any public events safe. . More atten­tion must be paid to acces­si­bil­ity and safety of hous­ing the elderly.

Partic­u­larly in cities, grow­ing phenom­ena that under­mine secu­rity and sense of safety must be addressed with a low thresh­old. Areas or neigh­bour­hoods where unrest prevails must be calmed. Busi­nesses and munic­i­pal services bring life and social inter­ac­tion to the area, as well as stabil­ity and secu­rity. Active coop­er­a­tion with the police, camera surveil­lance, and the pres­ence of secu­rity guards should be imple­mented where inse­cu­rity exists. The concen­tra­tion of socio-economic disad­van­tage should be prevented already at the plan­ning stage of new areas.

There is no place for crim­i­nal gangs in Finland. While the police handle crime, munic­i­pal­i­ties must focus on prevent­ing prob­lems and exclu­sion. Munic­i­pal­i­ties must offer effec­tive, indi­vid­ual, and early support. Disrup­tive behav­iour must be imme­di­ately addressed. All means must be used in crime preven­tion and gang preven­tion.

Munic­i­pal­i­ties must also prepare for emer­gen­cies. Every munic­i­pal­ity must be able to protect its resi­dents in a crisis. Munic­i­pal­i­ties must review and update their contin­gency plans for civil protec­tion and crit­i­cal infra­struc­ture and ensure the conti­nu­ity of services in all situ­a­tions. Citi­zens’ own prepared­ness must be supported through commu­ni­ca­tions and train­ing.

Creat­ing good every­day life through culture and sports

In a National Coali­tion Party led munic­i­pal­ity, one can live a healthy and well-being life as a child, in work­ing life, and in retire­ment.

Munic­i­pal­i­ties have an impor­tant role in reduc­ing lone­li­ness and phys­i­cal inac­tiv­ity. Gyms, swim­ming pools, children’s play­grounds, youth centres, and nature trails are places where good every­day life and new friend­ships are formed. Munic­i­pal­i­ties should have acces­si­ble and mean­ing­ful places for exer­cise, hobbies, outdoor activ­i­ties, and social gath­er­ings that cater to the needs of differ­ent groups, from chil­dren and youth to fami­lies and seniors.

We aim for hobbies to be easy and acces­si­ble to every­one. Let’s keep local sports and recre­ational facil­i­ties in good condi­tion and take care of pedes­trian and cycling paths to inte­grate daily phys­i­cal activ­ity into daily routines.

For many, the most impor­tant symbol and service of local pride can be the local sports club or hobby asso­ci­a­tion. The National Coali­tion Party wants to cher­ish these as well. There­fore, we want for sports and recre­ational asso­ci­a­tions to be able to use munic­i­pal facil­i­ties. Young people in partic­u­lar should be encour­aged to adopt an active lifestyle and start hobbies. We want to ensure that every child and young person has at least one suit­able hobby.

Although young people often cannot vote, it is impor­tant that their voices are heard in the munic­i­pal­ity. There­fore, we want youth coun­cils to be given real oppor­tu­ni­ties to partic­i­pate in dialogue about the munic­i­pal­i­ty’s devel­op­ment.

The decreas­ing number of chil­dren and young people leads to situ­a­tions where coop­er­a­tion in youth work is needed between munic­i­pal­i­ties, orga­ni­za­tions, and congre­ga­tions. Coop­er­a­tion can create impact in youth work even when funds, resources, or the number of youths encoun­tered are dwin­dling.

Cultural services bring vital­ity to the munic­i­pal­ity and increase well-being. Culture is created not only by munic­i­pally owned theatres or muse­ums but also by people’s own volun­tary activ­i­ties. Local culture actors, from profes­sion­als to begin­ners, should be visi­ble in the streetscape and munic­i­pal facil­i­ties. Public art should be consid­ered already when plan­ning areas or build­ings. Libraries keep culture and educa­tion close and acces­si­ble to all. There­fore, the qual­ity of libraries must be ensured. In order to improve acces­si­bil­ity we want to offer mobile services, like library buses and self-service libraries.

As the popu­la­tion ages, munic­i­pal­i­ties must provide better services for the elderly and ensure age-friendly plan­ning. For The National Coali­tion Party, retirees are an active and impor­tant part of the munic­i­pal commu­nity. To ensure an active life regard­less of age, leisure services should genuinely cater to seniors’ needs, and their target group should be listened to in service plan­ning. It is crucial to ensure that senior coun­cils can genuinely influ­ence living condi­tions and that their exper­tise is heard and utilized in the munic­i­pal­ity. Munic­i­pal­i­ties and welfare areas are jointly respon­si­ble for ensur­ing a healthy life as long as possi­ble. Qual­ity leisure services also prevent the need for health services. Munic­i­pal­i­ties must ensure that infor­ma­tion and services are acces­si­ble to seniors who do not use or cannot use digi­tal devices for health reasons.

In the reform of social and health services, the respon­si­bil­ity for promot­ing well-being and health was divided between munic­i­pal­i­ties and well­be­ing service coun­ties. Munic­i­pal­i­ties must continue to take respon­si­bil­ity for the well-being and health of their resi­dents after the reform. Genuine coop­er­a­tion with the well­be­ing service county should not be hindered by admin­is­tra­tive bound­aries. Orga­ni­za­tions must jointly consider what is needed for resi­dents to live health­ily and main­tain their well-being. There must be perma­nent struc­tures for coop­er­a­tion between munic­i­pal­i­ties and well­be­ing service coun­ties, and better coor­di­na­tion in the issu­ing grants for volun­tary orga­ni­za­tions.

Build­ing sustain­able munic­i­pal­i­ties and caring for the local envi­ron­ment

The National Coali­tion Party wants to invest in a pleas­ant and a clean living envi­ron­ment. Attrac­tive city centres and vibrant village streets invite people to visit and enjoy services. Even in the urban envi­ron­ment, urban green spaces should be preserved, and the impor­tance of the local envi­ron­ment should be remem­bered in plan­ning.

Well-being stems from having a home that meets indi­vid­ual needs. There­fore, munic­i­pal­i­ties and cities should have a diverse range of hous­ing that provides a suit­able home for differ­ent situ­a­tions and stages in life.  Cities should also accom­mo­date green single-family and row houses. Free-market produc­tion should be the start­ing point for hous­ing produc­tion. Social hous­ing has an impor­tant role, espe­cially for special groups and in combat­ing home­less­ness.

A National Coali­tion Party led munic­i­pal­ity takes respon­si­bil­ity for solv­ing biodi­ver­sity loss and combat­ing climate change. Cities, in partic­u­lar, have the respon­si­bil­ity and means to be pioneers in reduc­ing emis­sions. Reduc­ing emis­sions must be done cost-effec­tively. The National Coali­tion Party believes that the best way to protect the climate and main­tain a clean envi­ron­ment is to imple­ment a polluter-pays prin­ci­ple. It is impor­tant for us to protect biodi­ver­sity, both in infill devel­op­ment and in the construc­tion of new areas. Differ­ent perspec­tives, from water pollu­tion control and restora­tion to prevent­ing biodi­ver­sity loss, must be recon­ciled with the devel­op­ment of a municipality.The National Coali­tion Party believes that people have the right to choose their mode of trans­porta­tion. Most people use multi­ple modes of trans­porta­tion: some­times cycling, some­times walk­ing. Other times public trans­porta­tion or cars are the best options. We want to ensure smooth move­ment with all modes of trans­porta­tion. Trans­porta­tion policy aims to reduce emis­sions, not mobil­ity. Let’s develop all modes of trans­porta­tion in a balanced way from light traf­fic to public trans­port and driving. Regional rail trans­port will soon open to the market as a new mode of trans­port. Let’s promote the creation of regional rail trans­port to improve service levels and reduce emis­sions.

More content in the same category