Results of public monitoring of city council deputies presented in Odesa

More than a third of Odesa City Council members received the lowest marks for their work in 2024, while only 10 received the maximum 5 points. Experts have identified systemic problems with attendance, transparency, and accountability to voters.

The monitoring data will be presented at the presentation of the results of the civic monitoring of the all-Ukrainian campaign "Certification of Local Councilors": Results of the 4th year of Odesa City Council.

The experts of the all-Ukrainian campaign "Certification of Local Council Deputies" will present the results of the annual assessment of the work of the deputies of the Odesa City Council of the VIII convocation. The monitoring covered 53 out of 56 councillors and was based on 18 indicators, including openness, transparency, integrity and accountability.

Among those assessed were the Servant of the People, European Solidarity, and Trust the Deeds factions. Representatives of the liquidated OPFL and Shariy's Party, which became non-factual, were also assessed.

Experts have to show the level of involvement in the meetings. For example, four MPs have not attended a single meeting of a council or commission since 2022. Six other deputies ignored more than half of the meetings.

The level of transparency, biographical information, and public reports on deputy activities should also be emphasized.

During the online presentation, the experts are also expected to make recommendations for the city council: to standardize the presentation of information about deputies, restore access to their contacts, introduce mechanisms to respond to systematic absences from meetings, and strengthen ethical standards.

The anti-corruption organization Transparency International Ukraine has also recently presented the City Transparency Ranking. Mykolaiv was ranked seventh in the Transparency Ranking of Cities in Times of War, while Odesa was not in the top 10. The study showed that the level of transparency is determined not by the size of the city or the size of the budget, but by the presence of political will and consistent actions of local authorities.

Анна Бальчінос