Articles

Fifty-eight per cent of the binding operational targets in the 2023 budget and 60% of their indicators were met.

Ownership strategies set objectives for the subsidiaries. However, assessing whether the objectives have been met is difficult because they are set so vaguely.

2023 was the first year in which the expenditure and income of social services, health care and rescue services are no longer part of the city’s self-financed budget. Key figures show that the restructuring had little impact on the City of Helsinki’s financial situation.

The city’s Finnish-language comprehensive schools have supported foreign-language pupils in their learning, but some measures are incomplete or limited in scope. Language support varies between schools because of differences in resources and skills in providing support.

The Port of Helsinki’s emissions reduction target for ship emissions will almost certainly be reached in 2030. Emissions from heavy goods vehicles and machinery have not yet fallen significantly.

Visitors have found their way back to libraries in 2023 following the coronavirus pandemic, as the number of library visits has increased compared to 2020–2022. Library visits by primary school pupils are extensive, but lower secondary and secondary school pupils and students visit less.

Cultural grants have been partly developed in line with the City Strategy and the Culture Unit’s service strategy, but it has been impossible to monitor the inclusion of new operators or art forms within the scope of support.

During the coronavirus pandemic, detached work became part of basic youth work. However, the resources of youth work units are insufficient to cope with the increased tasks and needs. Recruiting staff has become more difficult.

Urban renewal is only just beginning, and so far relatively minor measures have been taken in the areas. However, efforts have been made to promote the objectives of urban renewal.

The Social Services, Health Care, and Rescue Services Division’s preparations for incidents and emergencies are mainly appropriate, but based on the findings, development work should continue in the future.

The city has not been able to increase the proportion of people satisfied with winter cycling. Measures to improve winter conditions on pedestrian paths are only just beginning. Taking winter maintenance into account in land-use planning solutions would allow for more effective snow management.

The city’s substance abuse services have facilitated access to treatment for people with drug dependencies through many reforms that have improved access to opioid substitution and detoxification treatment. The impact of the reforms on access to other substance abuse services could not be assessed because the reforms have only been in place for a very brief period and comparable statistical data were not available. Services for people suffering from drug dependence can also reduce the harm caused by drug use and improve the amenity and safety of the surrounding area, but facilities are lacking.

The city’s national advocacy has developed with the mayor model over the last two strategic periods.

Action has been taken on 94% of the recommendations from the 2021 assessment report.

Forty-two per cent of the binding operational targets were met. Fifty-eight per cent of the indicators measuring target achievement were met. The coronavirus pandemic still affected meeting targets, especially in the Culture and Leisure Division.

The introduction of Sarastia, the human resources and payroll system, failed in several areas. There were shortcomings in management, operational models, competence and system performance. Not enough effort was put into deployment and, in particular, into change management.

As of the 2022 budget, the City Council has no longer set targets for the City Group’s subsidiaries. In practice, the decision-making power for setting goals has been delegated to the City Board in the Group Guidelines adopted on 1 March 2023. The Audit Committee believes that the most significant subsidiaries at least should have goals to report to the City Council.

The city’s finances were on a solid footing despite a slight increase in the loan portfolio. The transition of Social Services, Health Care and Rescue Services to government funding from 2023 onwards will significantly change the funding base.

The city has developed its building asset management and disposal processes and ownership policies, but these do not yet fully support strategic objectives and service needs. The disposal process for premises has recently been developed, so it remains to be seen what its effects will be.

Senior centres have made efforts to improve employee well-being, retention and attraction, but the indicators show that there is still room for improvement in future.

According to the city strategy, the city must improve working conditions and staff availability in early childhood education and care. The Education Division has taken many measures, but staff well-being, retention and attraction have deteriorated due to severe staff shortages.

The Education Division has taken many steps to improve student well-being and increase their sense of community. However, the services of student welfare psychologists are not easily accessible, and there is a waiting list for further treatment.

The city has worked to improve adults’ access to early-stage mental health services, e.g. by training staff and opening more Mieppi low-threshold mental health units. The impact of the new tools introduced through training has yet to translate into faster access to care for clients.

Maternity and child health services aim to meet the individual needs of families. However, families do not always receive specialised support quickly enough, and there is room for improvement in the continuity of care.

Temporary care for people under 65 during informal care leave does not always meet the needs of different client groups. There are not enough temporary care placements for all client groups.

Residential planning has sought to preserve green spaces and valuable nature sites. However, green spaces have been designated for housing, as land-use planning also pursues its objectives for housing production.

The opportunities for residents to participate in land-use planning are broader than the legislation requires. Less active groups are activated if necessary.

The number of crimes committed by young people has remained relatively stable in recent years. However, serious criminal offences against persons committed by young people are on the rise. On the other hand, there has been a marked decline in police alerts for disorderly behaviour and vandalism.

The percentage of sustainable forms of transport has not increased. Promoting walking is very much in its initial stages and operates with limited resources.

As set out in its city strategy and various programmes, the city has taken many measures to streamline walking, driving and logistics. However, significant impacts have yet to be seen.

Action has been taken on 90% of the recommendations from the 2020 assessment report.

The recommendations the Audit Committee issued in 2019 usually led to measures.

51 per cent of the binding operation objectives were achieved. The prolongation of the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the achievement of the objectives of the Education Division and the Social Services and Health Care Division in particular.

The economy of the city still has a sound foundation, even though the increasing operating costs have exceeded the limits determined by the City Strategy. The city has succeeded in reducing the loan portfolio in accordance with the strategy while the investment costs have been high. The social welfare and health care reform in 2023 will change the financing base considerably.

Secondary schools have increased the support available in order to remedy the loss of learning caused by distance education; however, allocating the support in the future requires reliable data.

Student counselling and the rate of studies completion have been developed in a diverse manner, but based on the survey of the personnel, there is not enough counselling available to students.

The number of employees in the services of open child welfare is at its statutory level, but due to the increased challenges families face, all needs cannot always be addressed. Furthermore, child welfare has open vacancies for social workers, but the vacancies remain uncovered.

Efforts have been made to develop home care in the last few years, but most of the objectives have not been achieved. Home care’s most prominent issue is the shortage of personnel. Linguistic equality is not realised due to the lack of Swedish-speaking nursing personnel.

Home care and service housing have introduced a guidebook for emergency situations and the mobile nurse service, but they are not utilised to their full potential. Closer cooperation should be established when discharging patients from hospital.

The city has strived to promote mental health rehabilitees’ access to housing services by turning the Aurora Hospital’s wards of rehabilitative psychiatry into housing units and by increasing the service selection of housing services in the competitive tendering of purchased services. However, the number of people on the waiting list for housing services has not decreased.

The actions of the Physical Activity Programme of Helsinki have largely been implemented. The majority of the three target areas’ actions have been either implemented or advanced on schedule.

The natural value of the city’s forests have increased in the long term, thanks to the nature management and planned exclusions from the management. The key actions promoting biodiversity were allowing forests to have moulder wood, favouring trees of different species and ages, and excluding sites recognised as important for biodiversity from the nature management.

The measures promoting a friendly attitude towards companies, for which the Economic Development Division of the City Executive Office was responsible, have largely been successful. In the future, the development of corporate cooperation and a favourable attitude towards companies will require contributions from the entire city organisation and the Economic Development Division in particular.

The city has prepared for digital security risks, but the level of preparedness should still be increased. For instance, the organisation of digital security still needs improvement.

At Heka, residents do not have authority in all the matters required by the Act on Joint Management of Rental Buildings. On the other hand, Heka’s tenant democracy has elements not required by the legislation. The activists for residents’ rights are unsatisfied with the actual influencing opportunities the residents have.

Most of the recommendations issued by the Audit Committee in 2018 led to actions.

The auditor has repeatedly issued recommendations on the following topics: memo vouchers, balance sheet breakdowns, the tracking of movable assets and the existence of assets, procurement activities and administration.

56 per cent of the binding operational objectives and targets were achieved. The binding operational objectives and targets were best achieved in the Central Administration and the Urban Environment Division.

It has been possible to reduce borrowing despite large investments. The increase in expenditure has exceeded the target of the City Strategy. The COVID-19 pandemic is causing economic uncertainty.

The costs of the Olympic Stadium modernisation and refurbishment project were almost EUR 127 million higher than estimated in the project plan. Additional and alteration work increased the costs the most. Another reason for the cost overrun is the fact that the costs of the project plan were not tied to the tender price index.

Areal segregation has not decreased, although Helsinki has been able to curb segregation through a long-term housing policy aimed at creating a diverse population and housing structure.

In line with its objective, the funding for positive discrimination (PD) has compensated for area-based differences in well-being in comprehensive schools caused by the urban structure. The appropriation is considered to be important and its criteria oriented in the right direction.

Good experiences have been gained with the measures taken to reduce inequalities between children and young people and prevent their social exclusion, but the permanence of the effects is uncertain.

The Social Services and Health Care Division has developed the treatment of people with substance abuse problems and harm reduction services and lowered the threshold for access to services. Cooperation with other operators, particularly child welfare services, needs to be developed.

Child Welfare is having challenges in meeting the increased need for foster care with family care and special and demanding institutional care.

Gender equality is taken into account in the different services of the Culture and Leisure Division, but the way in which information on service users’ gender is collected varies.

Access to non-urgent care is provided at health stations mainly within the time limits prescribed by law, but not in accordance with Helsinki’s own objectives or in an equal manner.

Preventive communal student welfare has been promoted in accordance with the Student Welfare Act, but the pupils’ right to receive psychologist and welfare officer services in student welfare was not realised within the statutory deadline.

The implementation of the Urban Environment Division’s participatory budgeting projects has been successful, despite limited human resources and a tight schedule. However, communication about the progress of the projects and the involvement of residents in the implementation of the projects reached only a small group of residents.

Young people’s influence and participation can best be supported at school. This requires closer cooperation between the Education Division and the Culture and Leisure Division.

The Urban Environment Division and Helsinki City Housing Company have taken numerous measures to reduce emissions. In order for the objectives of the Carbon-neutral Helsinki 2035 action plan to be achieved on schedule, a considerable number of energy refurbishments of private housing companies will be required.

The environmental policy objectives set by the City Council in 2012 have not been fully achieved in the City of Helsinki’s procurement. Although environmental criteria have been set in several procurements with significant environmental impact in the past, more extensive development has only begun in recent years with the Carbon-neutral Helsinki 2035 action plan.

The objectives of the City Strategy have been furthered during this council period of office. Half of the measures planned for the early years of the Maritime Strategy have already been implemented either fully or for the most part.

Corporate governance of business premises companies has for the most part been organised appropriately. However, the assessment found needs for supplementing the corporate governance principles.

With the introduction of the new management system and City division model, the controllability of the City organisation has improved. However, control and direction have become more fragmented, and there is a lack of clarity regarding who directs what.

The recommendations issued by the Audit Committee in 2017 led to measures except the fact that the dual role of elected representatives and office holders who belong to the Helsinki Group’s administration continues to be problematic.

The City divisions that were the most successful in achieving their binding operational objectives and targets were the Education Division and Central Administration.

The City’s finances were strong in 2019. The coronavirus pandemic will weaken the City’s finances in 2020.

The results obtained on enhancing the use of space and changing the measures used for this purpose have varied in different services of the City. However, taking the views of customers and staff into account has been found to be important in facility alterations.

The ownership steering of sports and cultural services is organised in an appropriate manner for the most part. At City level, the problem is that the division of labour between the mayor and deputy mayors has not been defined.

The objectives set for early childhood education and care (ECEC) in the City Strategy were achieved for the most part, but the staff shortage may undermine the achievement of the objectives in the future.

The integration of families with children has been promoted in the Education Division, but the division must increase the development of the skills of its own staff with regard to integration.

The accessibility of the built environment was actively promoted in the 2010s, but there is still a need to increase cooperation with disability associations. The realisation of the accessibility of the built environment according to plan should be ensured.

The quality of the City of Helsinki’s digital services is good for the most part when compared to the national quality criteria for digital services. However, there is room for development in the findability and functionality of the services.

The electronic health care services are high quality, but not all residents of the municipality are able to use them. Because of this, the availability of traditional service channels must also be ensured in the future.

Basic education currently has sufficient and functional digital environments, systems and equipment, but they must be developed and replaced. The digital and pedagogical skills of teachers have not improved as planned, and there is a lack of sufficient monitoring data on the development of pupils’ skills.

The quality control of the 24-hour care of the elderly can be considered to be satisfactory in the City’s own service provision and sufficient in purchased services.

The oral health care services of the City of Helsinki are high quality, but access to care has been difficult, particularly due to problems in making contact and the lack of non-urgent appointments.

The family centre model has increased cooperation between different professionals according to the objectives. Family centre work is just beginning in several areas of Helsinki, and there are still needs for development.

Not all large-scale traffic projects of the City have been implemented in such a way that it would be possible for them to stay within the original cost estimate or schedule.

The City is unable to monitor the great number of worksites to a sufficient degree or intervene in operations efficiently enough in the event of issues. Disturbances caused by street construction sites are assessed by major professional construction operators, but they are only responsible for roughly half of the excavation sites within the city.