Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked are leading a move to decentralize powers from the government to local authorities.
On Sunday, a proposal for a resolution on the decentralization of local government and the reduction of regulation, in order to increase the efficiency of local authorities, will probably be submitted to the government for approval.
An inter-ministerial team and a team from the Ministry of the Interior will jointly formulate recommendations that are expected to affect the central government's relationship with local authorities.
The teams, headed by Prime Minister Yair Pines' director general, and Interior Ministry director general Yair Hirsch, will formulate and submit recommendations regarding the powers to be transferred to local authorities.
The teams will include the directors of the Ministries of Internal Security, Environmental Protection, Education, Economy, Justice, Welfare, Religious Services, Transportation and Road Safety, and Culture and Sports. The Ministry of Finance and the Attorney General are also partners.
More power for the Jerusalem Municipality, City Hall, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
The Ministry of the Interior noted that apart from the fact that the State of Israel has only two levels of government - central and local, with no regional level in between, in Israel the government holds most of the powers that affect the activities of local government.
The ministry believes that high centralization leads to the underestimation of the potential for local economic growth, to a possible damage to democracy in local government and to the difficulty of promoting a place-based policy.
In light of this, it was decided to concentrate efforts on the issue of decentralization, out of a desire to produce a process with results in the near term and a dialogue of the government with the local government.
"This is a revolution in the relationship between local government and central government," said Interior Minister Shaked. "Our goal is to strengthen local authorities."
"Will lead to efficient budget allocation"
Yair Hirsch, Director General of the Ministry of the Interior, clarified that "the first and main task assigned to me is to 'let the local authorities work'.
We are talking about reducing bureaucracy on two levels: decentralizing powers to local authorities and improving the existing service in the Ministry of the Interior towards the authorities. "
According to Hirsch," there is a backlash from the Prime Minister's Office as well.
Decentralization means that in any area where the Ministry of the Interior has no relative advantage or substantial necessity, the Ministry of the Interior will not engage in it.
There is no justification for all sorts of archaic mechanisms from the Mandate period, by virtue of which the ministry is required to approve decisions and initiatives of local authorities, which are entirely within their jurisdiction.
More powers for the authorities, Ashkelon Municipality, Photo: Gideon Markovich
"Authorities must be distributed intelligently and unevenly. There are 257 local authorities in Israel, each of which is unique. The intention is to release the authorities to do their job for the benefit of the citizens, with a minimum of government intervention."
The Ministry of the Interior intends to decentralize powers, while increasing control and supervision. The authorities will have the opportunity to prove that they are capable of running independently, and that they know best of all what is good and right for the residents. This is with the support of the Ministry of the Interior and with an emphasis on promoting the administrative backbone of local authorities and improving the workforce. At the same time, the Ministry of the Interior also intends to become more efficient and better in terms of the powers that will remain in the ministry's hands.
Yair Pines, Director General of the Prime Minister's Office, emphasized that “during the Corona period we felt more than ever the capabilities of the local government. The decision is expected to streamline the work of the government and local government, and lead to a more efficient utilization of budgets, to the implementation of significant reforms,And, of course, for better service to the residents that is tailored and accurate to the needs of the area. "
