by Daniele Bovi
Green light for the so-called “territorial tables”, but with differences compared to the original version. On Monday the city council unanimously approved (28 votes in favour) the changes to the regulation «for the regulation of forms of popular participation in local administration»; at the center of the project, wanted by the council, there are the 11 tables which, in some way, try to fill the hole left more than a decade ago by the abolition of the districts.
The first proposal The changes began to be discussed a month ago with a pre-council meeting of the council, immediately rejected by the opposition, in which the tables were spoken of as “intermediate bodies” made up of representatives indicated by the associations (only those registered in the appropriate register, the Runts ). In short, these tables were supposed to “provide indications and proposals” on a series of subjects such as services, management of public spaces, works, mobility, welfare, urban planning and safety; at that point the council has a month to give “feedback regarding the interest, priority and feasibility” of the same.
The amendments In the new formulation, the result of almost 30 amendments from the opposition (almost all accepted by the council and the majority), these tables are set up «in order to coordinate the activities of the local associations through a participatory instrument and with the active presence of the municipal administration, which constantly encourages dialogue and discussion between the parties”. Their task will be to provide “indications and reports on the problems of their territory”, with the possibility of also “proposing interventions or solutions in reference to the critical issues that have emerged”, without listing particular subjects. As for the other most important innovations, citizens are given the opportunity not only to participate in the sessions but also to speak. In addition to this, the Municipality, where possible, will make “suitable offices” available and provide “technical-administrative support on specific topics”. For the rest, everything unchanged.
Giottoli Councilor Gabriele Giottoli speaks in a note of an “enormous success for our city and a strong sign of rapprochement between the territories”, then underlining the joint work of the majority and the opposition. For the councilor, overall the changes aim to “network and enhance the 63 microcities that make up our territory”. The opposition recalls that the first proposal was «inadmissible» given that «it reported a series of indications and tasks evidently disconnected from each other and with the purposes of the tables themselves, badly copying the good experiences already active in our country».
The oppositions With the amendments the text was improved and in the end «a vote of responsibility arrived despite the fact that some issues we reported are still unresolved, such as the exclusion of committees not registered with the Runts; a limited participation that doesn’t convince us and we highlighted this in the commission and in the city council.” The model that Pd and other opposition groups have in mind is that of neighborhood councils already present in other cities and which are «different from the proposal approved by the Municipality. We are very far from the tools of popular participation already active in municipalities similar to Perugia and the next administration will have to take responsibility for making up this considerable distance.”
Tags: Perugia bipartisan Territorial Tables news
