Municipalities and Councils - Australians for Palestine

Municipalities: Key Partners for
Development
Local-level government in Palestine
has had a long history. Since the
Oslo Accords, municipalities have
been assigned a clear role. They
serve as part of the lowest level of
governance, representation, and
accountability for citizens. They
also act as potential engines for
development as they deliver several
services. Their importance is further
emphasised by the urbanised nature
of the Palestinian population, 74
percent of whom are urban dwellers
who rely on services provided by 134
municipalities (Palestinian Central
Bureau of Statistics Population Survey,
2007).
Municipalities face several challenges
in fulfilling their role. Municipal budgets
have significantly declined over the
last decade primarily due to the
ongoing conflict, the contraction
of the economy, poor municipal
management, and a growing culture
of non-payment especially since the
second Intifada. The deterioration
of municipal finances has led to a
subsequent deterioration of service
coverage and quality, ultimately
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impacting negatively on the quality
of life of most Palestinians. Localities
in areas B and C face additional
challenges of obtaining permissions
for development.
Municipalities – Enginers for
Development
The role of municipalities is critical in
achieving sustainable development.
Municipalities are key actors in
meeting basic needs through the 27
functions that they are legally required
to provide. Most, however, provide far
fewer. Three services are provided by
80 percent of municipalities, namely,
solid waste management, street
maintenance, and water supply. Seven
services are provided by 50 percent
of municipalities, including street
lighting, town planning/roads, school
maintenance and construction, and
sidewalks.
The least provided services are
museums, wastewater treatment,
traffic management, slaughterhouses,
social assistance, fire fighting, public
lavatories, public transport, markets,
and street names and numbering.
Even in the areas where services are
provided, substantial improvements
are required. (See Box 1.).
Several donors are supporting
investments in infrastructure at the
municipal level. However, sustainable
service delivery requires an improved
municipal fiscal situation. Currently,
average per capita expenditure from
municipalities own budget sources is
only NIS 9 per year. Ninety percent of
the municipal budgets are allocated
for recurrent expenditure leaving only
10 percent of the budget for capital
investments. The deficits in service
provision also reflect the small size
of Palestinian municipalities: 101
municipalities have populations of
less than 25,000 and therefore do not
have the economies of scale to provide
several services.
To improve their services, it is
crucial for municipalities to look for
opportunities for revenue collection.
Municipal amalgamation also requires
increased attention.
Governance, Representation, and
Accountability
Elections are a key element to ensuring
municipal accountability – and should
be supported. But accountability
goes far beyond just elections.
Vineyard in Hebron. Photo from Palestine Image Bank. Construction of a new road in Hebron. Photo from World Bank Archive.
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Investments and budgets should be
responsive to needs, and financial
systems should allow municipalities
to easily determine how its funds are
being used. This would also help cut
corruption and foster transparency.
Finally, municipalities should also
look carefully at how they interact with
the public. Palestinian municipalities,
and the Palestinian Authority, have
made several interventions to support
governance and accountability.
Aligning municipal investments with
needs. Several municipalities are
undertaking Strategic Development
and Investment Plans (SDIPs) to
assist them in identifying priorities/
needs and aligning their identified
investments with such priorities.
Community participation is integrated
into the strategic planning process
to ensure that community needs
Box 1: Some Facts on Service
Levels
• 26 percent of water supply network
is in need of maintenance
• 52 percent of municipal roads are
unpaved and maintenance varies
widely
• Municipalities have only 46 percent
of equipment needed,
• Municipalities have 82 percent
of classrooms needed, but
maintenance varies widely