In 2020, the municipality of Ladan almost became part of the large Pryluky municipality. The then-head of the village of Krasliany, Roman Yuvchenko, intervened in the process of unification and was able to unite three village councils around the village of Ladan.
For four years, including two years of the full-scale invasion, the municipality was able to stay strong and prove itself as capable. It strengthened its capacity, created a municipal agricultural enterprise, optimised its educational institutions and provided residents with comprehensive essential services. Yuliia Shakura, Manager of the Executive Committee of the Ladan Village Council, talked about the life of the municipality.
First challenges and education
When the municipality was created, we decided that it should meet all the requirements and expectations of decentralisation. And the most important task was to provide proper services to residents. We started with education and optimisation of the network of institutions.
The first major challenge was to implement all the steps in accordance with the laws, and the second was to convince educators that transforming schools was necessary. As a result, we have created two full-fledged educational institutions with structural units and financial autonomy from four schools and five kindergartens.
These institutions used to be financed from the district budget: there was enough money for salaries and meagre expenses. In addition, it turned out that the teachers were employees of the Department of Education. Can you imagine? Geography and PE teachers are local self-government officials.
Today, these educational institutions receive a subvention for teachers’ salaries, and all other expenses are funded by the village council. Repairs are ongoing, and teachers use modern software that helps them do their work better. We are pro quality education rather than quantity.
Our educational network has been fully operational for two years. Our educators cannot stop bragging about us. 573 students study in lyceums.
In addition to basic education, there is an art school available for children that offers music, art and dance classes. The municipality is also home to the Centre of Culture, Leisure and Sports, a modern municipal institution. It offers many children’s clubs, a drama club, guitar classes. Teenagers have already created their own music band.
Both institutions are also financially independent.
Children from the entire municipality can attend all these clubs or learn various musical instruments. There is a branch of the art school in one of the villages, as well as three branches of the Centre for Culture, Leisure and Sports for the convenience of children and parents. Innovatively, classes were opened based on self-sufficiency for the early development of children: art, dance, singing and English classes.
Medical, social, municipal and other services
According to the medical reform, based on the population, our municipality is only entitled to a primary healthcare facility. We established a hospital and received a license within a month. It was made possible, among other things, thanks to the well-thought-out steps and action plans, persistence and advice received from the Regional Office of U-LEAD. We just had to strictly follow the recommendations.
To ensure that the population of the municipality can receive quality services in all areas, we had to change approaches and reform institutions. As a result, we have the Administrative Services Centre where everyone can receive more than 80 administrative services.
The Social Service Centre was opened to provide a full range of services for older people, families and young people. A system of compensation for travel to Pryluky was created for pensioners. Once a month they can go to the district capital city, and the cost of the trip will be reimbursed by the village council.
Utility services have posed the biggest challenge. Firstly, Ladan is an urban-type village where apartment buildings were built for the workers of the Pozhmashina Plant. This includes maintenance of communications and elevators, provision of water supply and drainage, garbage removal, etc. So while Ladan is a village, all our problems are urban in nature.
Secondly, Ladan-Posluga, a municipal enterprise that provides all these services, has been unprofitable for the past ten years. A snow removal machine with additional loaders, a garbage truck and an excavator were purchased at the expense of the village council. In 2022, U-LEAD with Europe received a loader and recovery equipment, which were also handed over to this municipal enterprise.
Thirdly, many of the residents’ expenses used to be “covered” at the expense of the plant. People were not used to paying for utility services. Therefore, we had to conduct an informational campaign among the public.
Due to the full-scale invasion, the plant was partially relocated, and revenues to the budget decreased.
The municipal agricultural company ranks among the top ten in the sector
A municipal company — Ladan-Agro — was also created. We came up with it at a U-LEAD event. There are few such companies in Ukraine, and ours is definitely unique in our area. We conducted monitoring and inventory of all lands and discovered undivided state-owned land plots and abandoned property. A total of 170 hectares. Then we established all these lands as a municipal company so that it would bring profit to the municipality.
According to zemliak.com, the Ladan municipality ranks among the TOP-10 municipalities in Ukraine that have created their own municipal agricultural companies and run industry-specific businesses.
Projects and further steps
We are developing project activities. Together with municipality activists, we initiated the creation of Ladan-Start NGO. We established cooperation with the Ukrainian Women’s Fund. The NGO implemented the project “Strengthening the Economic Capacity of Women” with the direct support of the village council. Internally displaced women were offered a number of workshops to present opportunities for creating their own business. We even already have success stories.
In the village of Podyshche, a self-help group creates a women’s HUB for women with disabilities, women of retirement age and women from families of military personnel. We plan to arrange a room for them, conduct psychological training and offer consultations.
In Ladan, the NGO also implements the project “Comfortable and Safe Space for Women: Resource Recovery”. It will be a space for women and children with all the necessary equipment for training, workshops and joint leisure.
Many projects and initiatives are aimed at supporting internally displaced persons. The municipality hosts over 350 IDPs. In 2023, the initiative “Useful Tips for a Safe Life” was implemented, contributing to networking between young people, women of the municipality and internally displaced women. Classes on self-defence, safe use of electronic services and first aid were offered.
Iryna Kudryk, Head of the Regional Office of U-LEAD with Europe in the Chernihiv Oblast, commented on the experience and development of the Ladan municipality as follows:
“The leadership of the Ladan municipality is the case of well-timed and bold decisions. In their first year of work, they built a strong foundation of institutional stability, forming or transforming all municipal structures, which now responsibly provide high-quality, comprehensive services to the residents of the municipality within the limits of the granted organizational and financial autonomy. And yes, we are happy and proud that the expert advice of U-LEAD experts prompted such radical positive changes in the municipality!”
