On 2 November, a modern ASC was opened in the settlement of Erky in Cherkasy oblast. Established by Ukrainian and Swedish experts, the Centre will offer over 130 administrative services, including the most in-demand services among the community residents such as housing subsidies, real estate registration, land utilisation, social security and pension services.

U-LEAD with Europe Programme assisted the local community in establishing the ASC as well as furnishing the Centre with furniture and modern office equipment with specialised software.

The Erky ASC will employ five full-time staff members who have taken part in the advanced training course developed by U-LEAD experts for the amalgamated territorial community residents. Prior to modernisation, the ASC has been offering 45 services, now the number of services increased to 131. Revenues from the administrative services will be credited to the community budget.

Kameran Khudur, First Secretary of the Embassy of Sweden to Ukraine and Sida Programme Director of U-LEAD with Europe congratulated the residents upon the occasion and said, said: “The decentralisation reform offers great opportunities to proactive communities that aim to improve living standards and infrastructure. I hope that a significant progress achieved in partnership with our experts in modernising the Yerky ASC will become a good example for other amalgamated communities”.

Oleksandr Kamenchuk, Head of Administrative Service System Development at the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, greeted the community on behalf of the Ministry and stressed that the decentralisation process, which is now evident in virtually every area of life in Ukraine, is a high priority for the Government: “The Cabinet of Ministers supports and actively implements all decisions that make the local governments stronger and more independent because strong leaders on the ground are instrumental to a successful and prosperous state”.

Leonid Polyovyi, Chairman of the Erky Settlement Council, said: “I am grateful to the U-LEAD with Europe experts who trained the ASC administrators and other officers in our community. As a result of our partnership, we received both the Centre, equipped in line with modern European standards, and well-trained professionals capable of delivering high-quality services. I hope that our partnership with the Programme will continue in other areas and produce good results”.

The new ASC provided a high-quality access to the administrative services for nearly six thousand local residents.

The ceremony of the ASC opening was attended by the representative of the Embassy of Sweden to Ukraine, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Cherkasy Oblast State Administration and Cherkasy Centre for Local Self-Government Development. For the first time in the ASC history, a large local family registered their child number 10 and received two other related services at the same time. Previously, the Centre had not been offering such services in the “one-stop-shop” format.

Prior to the ASC opening, an awareness-raising campaign was conducted to help local residents have a better understanding of ASC operations and benefits, as well as the rights and responsibilities of ASC employees and service users. The ASC is designed under the European standards to ensure access for people with disabilities. There is also an indoor play area for children.

It should be emphasised that 26 ASCs will be opened in Ukrainian amalgamated communities by the end of 2017 within the framework of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme which aims at improving the delivery of local administrative services. The best practices for creating and improving the delivery of administrative services that are tested and implemented in 26 pilot communities of the inception phase will be applied to all ASCs to be opened or modernised within the next phase of the Programme. That is at least 600 ASCs by the end of 2020.