Local government unit

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNIT – a public law entity whose component is a community living in a specific territory. The Constitution of the Republic of Poland mentioned only the municipality by name and indicated that it is the basic l.g.u. However, the Constitution provides for the possibility of establishing other units at local and regional levels. As part of the second stage of the → local government reform in Poland in 1998, a fundamental three-tier → territorial division of the state was introduced, creating a three-level system of local government, which consists of: → municipality, → county, → voivodship. These units are not hierarchical with regard to each other, although their layout resembles a rung structure. In the organisational sense, the voivodship consists of counties, and the latter consists of municipalities. However, the units are not dependent on each other, they have neither executive powers nor are they supervisory and control bodies or higher level authorities in administrative proceedings. They were established in order to carry out public tasks performed on their own behalf and at their own responsibility. Tasks can be implemented directly by residents who have at their disposal tools of direct or indirect democracy – by representatives (→ councillors). L.g.u. have legal personality and independence, which is subject to judicial protection. (→ local government, municipality, county, voivodship) [B. Węglarz]

Literature: Z. Bukowski, T. Jędrzejewski, P. Rączka, Ustrój samorządu terytorialnego [The system of local government], Toruń 2011 ■ B. Dolnicki, Samorząd terytorialny [Local government], Warszawa 2012 ■ H. Izdebski, Samorząd terytorialny. Podstawy ustroju i działalności [Local government. The basics of the system and activity], Warszawa 2011.