The role of the public council in local government

Abstract

In the modern world, public councils (councils) exist in almost every legal state. They are created in various forms and spheres of public life to achieve the political goals of the state. In general, councils widely exercise their powers in monitoring the activities of state bodies, public control, developing regulatory documents, and expressing the opinion of the population. In implementing the concept of a “hearing state”, councils effectively respond to constructive requests from citizens and are the most important link between the state and society, since problems in the state apparatus are caused by the lack of feedback from the population between local government and citizens. The article highlights the realities from the moment of adoption of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On public councils” to the present day, indicating the presence of a number of problems that bureaucratize and devalue the ideological basis. At the same time, practice shows real results that have a positive impact on building a dialogue and mandatory regulatory procedures that have no impact on society. The problems that have accumulated today, such as duplication of functions, lack of motivation, imperfect legislation, and others, require certain measures to be taken. This was preceded by the lack of practical experience of Kazakhstan at the time of adoption of the law, insufficient analysis of foreign practice and gaps in legislation. Solving these and other problems, as well as building the work of councils on a new principle, promotes openness and responsibility of the state to the population.