From time to time, scandals erupt in various Ukrainian cities because residents are not allowed into city council meetings. Such conflicts occurred before the full-scale invasion (for example, in Vinnytsia and Kharkiv) and continue to appear today.

Last year, the Transparent Cities program commented twice on the situation in Dnipro, where members of the public were not admitted to the plenary meetings of the 50th and 52nd regular sessions of the Dnipro City Council of the 8th convocation. After the first statements by activists about being denied entry, the program asked the municipality to explain the reasons for refusing access. In June 2024, it received an official response from the city authorities which, unfortunately, did not provide comprehensive explanations.

To understand how city councils implement the right, enshrined in the Law of Ukraine on Local Self-Government in Ukraine, of every citizen to be present at a session, the program’s analysts checked whether a procedure for access to city council meetings was approved and published on the council’s official website and whether it was possible to submit an online application to attend an open plenary meeting. The assessment showed that only 10 out of 100 cities fully met these two conditions in 2024. Moreover, all of these cities have certain particularities, which we describe below.

City council rules of procedure as the basis for analysis

At the end of 2024, the Transparent Cities program sent questionnaires to municipalities concerning information for the Transparency Ranking of 100 Ukrainian cities, which, among other things, asked about access to city council meetings. In their responses, the vast majority of municipalities indicated that the access procedure is contained in their Rules of Procedure.

However, researchers were unable to find the Rules of Procedure on the official websites of Vyshneve, Dubno, Mohyliv-Podilskyi, Pervomaisk, and Pivdenne.

In the other 95 cities, the Rules of Procedure were published, though not always easy to find. Seventy-five city councils had a dedicated page for this document on the official website, or a separate “City Council” page with a link to the Rules. In some cases, a link could be found in the website’s main menu. Another 20 municipalities did not make it easier for citizens: the resolution approving the Rules had to be searched for among hundreds of other council decisions.

The vast majority of Rules of Procedure used by city councils were approved in 2020 or 2021. Subsequent amendments were introduced over the following years, but not all local self-government bodies published finalized, up-to-date versions. Sometimes changes appear in separate resolutions while the consolidated text of the Rules is not updated. To obtain the current version, users have to combine all amendments themselves. This is the situation in Boryslav, Zhmerynka, Kovel, Kostopil, Lubny, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Pivdennoukrainsk, Rivne, Synelnykove, Uman, Fastiv, and Sheptytskyi. The pages hosting the Rules of Procedure for the Lutsk and Kharkiv city councils do not indicate how current the documents are at all.

The analysts decided not to consolidate all amendments on their own, but to examine the most recent complete versions available. For example, in the case of Kovel, despite amendments introduced from 2021 to 2024, the analysis used the Rules of Procedure dated February 25, 2021. This may have affected the accuracy of the assessment; however, responsibility for the lack of complete, up-to-date versions lies with the city councils.

How cities define access to meetings

Below are seven typical cases that provide a complete picture of how different municipalities formalize their approaches to residents’ presence at council sessions.

Case 1. Varash

The city council’s Rules of Procedure state: “Openness of meetings is ensured by providing free access for citizens of Ukraine and representatives of mass media who wish to attend council meetings.” The document also provides for remote meetings of the city council.

After reading the Rules, a resident learns they have the right to attend but receives no understanding of how exactly this right can be exercised. Can they freely enter the council building under martial law? Do they need to bring any documents to attend an in-person meeting? How do they register for an online meeting? Attempts to find a separate document setting out an algorithm for access to in-person and remote plenary meetings were unsuccessful.

❌ Assessment result: no access procedure in place

Case 2. Uzhhorod

The council’s Rules of Procedure state: “Members of the territorial community of the city of Uzhhorod, for the purpose of exercising their right to participate in the city’s local self-government, may be present in the session hall. Citizens of other states and guests of the city may also be present at sessions, provided they notify the council’s staff or the presiding officer no later than 30 minutes before the start of the plenary meeting.” Remote meetings are not provided for in the Rules.

Where and how is it verified that a person is a member of the territorial community? How are city guests supposed to find council staff or the presiding officer? Can a city guest freely enter the premises that house the session hall? No instructions answering these questions could be found on the council’s website.

❌ Assessment result: no access procedure in place 

Case 3. Okhtyrka

The Rules list all persons who may be present at meetings: “During an open meeting of the council in the session hall, the mayor, council members and their assistants, the secretary of the city council, officials of the council’s executive bodies, and persons invited to participate in the session of the council have the right to take part. Editorial offices of print media and TV/radio companies have the right to accredit their representatives with the council for a certain period or for the entire term of the council.” Members of the territorial community are not among those allowed to be present.

A similar situation is observed in Brody, Zolochiv, and Kamianske — residents’ participation in meetings is not provided for. Kryvyi Rih’s city council stated in its Rules that under martial law sessions are held in closed session.

❌ Assessment result: access to meetings is not ensured

Case 4. Kyiv

The Kyiv City Council’s Rules of Procedure provide for both in-person and remote meetings. They state that “openness of Kyiv City Council plenary meetings and meetings of its bodies is ensured by free access in the manner established by a separate decision of the Kyiv City Council.” This decision is available on the “Visit a Meeting” page of the official website. 

The page also contains a link to a detailed User Guide: Registration for a Plenary Meeting. This document could be considered a good practice: it provides a step-by-step description of how to apply to attend an open plenary session and what a resident must do on the day of an in-person session. Unfortunately, the guide does not provide details on what a resident should do when a plenary meeting is held via videoconference.

🟧 Assessment result: access to meetings is partially ensured. 

Case 5. Romny

Unlike Kyiv City Council, the Romny City Council does not provide for remote meetings in its Rules. Regarding in-person sessions, the document states: “Residents may be present at council meetings upon prior notification submitted to the general department. Notifications are submitted by the end of the working day preceding the plenary meeting. A member of the territorial community of Romny may access meetings of the council and all its bodies upon presentation of an identity document.” 

The official website has a “Application to Participate in a Plenary Meeting of the City Council” page with a sample written application to participate in a session, but there is no way to apply online. 

🟧 Assessment result: access to meetings is partially ensured. 

Case 6. Volodymyr

In Volodymyr, residents do not need to file an online application to attend a council meeting. The Rules provide that “members of the territorial community, other citizens, and representatives of civil society organizations or political parties may be present at a plenary meeting upon registration conducted immediately before the start of the meeting upon presentation of an identity document. The number of attendees is determined by the number of seats available in the designated sector of the session hall or other designated place. If the number of residents wishing to be present exceeds the available seats, the presiding officer must announce a recess and move the meeting to a venue that allows all interested persons to attend.”

Remote meetings are provided for, but the Rules specify that “at a plenary meeting of the Council held remotely, only persons whose presence the Council deems necessary may be present.”

Similar arrangements can be observed in Lozova, Obukhiv, Slavuta, and Chernivtsi.

✅ Assessment result: access is ensured.

Case 7. Bila Tserkva

As in Volodymyr, no online application is required to attend a session in Bila Tserkva. The Rules state: “Openness of the Council’s plenary meetings is ensured by providing sufficient space, taking into account the physical capacity of the session hall premises, for citizens of Ukraine who wish to attend such meetings and have registered by presenting an identity document or service ID to a Council employee.” Remote meetings are not provided for in the Rules.

Access to meetings follows the same logic in Zaporizhzhia, Stryi, Chornomorsk, and Shostka.

✅ Assessment result: access is ensured.

In 2024, 5 out of 100 city councils studied — Brody, Zolochiv, Kamianske, Kryvyi Rih, and Okhtyrka— denied residents access to plenary sessions at the level of their Rules of Procedure.

At the same time, only 10 cities ensured proper access to city council meetings by stating in their Rules that prior registration for in-person sessions is not required because registration is conducted immediately before the meeting upon presentation of an identity document. However, in these cities, remote meetings are either not provided for at all or the document states that only specific persons may participate, with no representatives of the public among them.

Why council meetings cannot be closed 

Local self-government bodies must be open to residents when exercising their public powers. This is the default regime under current Ukrainian law. Access to meetings of collegial bodies vested with public authority is directly guaranteed by law, except in specifically defined cases. The law does not distinguish between formats: online or in person. In effect, the lack of residents’ access to meetings of collegial local self-government bodies restricts citizens’ participation — both in the exercise of local self-government and in access to public information.

Grounds and cases for restricting residents’ right of access to meetings may be established exclusively at the legislative level. As a rule, they are related to ensuring national or public security, public order, civil protection, and preventing threats to life and health. Residents’ access may also be limited within the framework of specific measures/constraints under the legal regime of martial law, which must be carefully justified in each specific case. Holding “closed meetings” on a permanent basis is not envisaged by Ukraine’s legislation on local self-government.

The procedure for access to meetings is determined by the council in accordance with the law. Any measures restricting access must be established only by decisions of local councils and exclusively on the basis of law. Such measures and their specifics may be laid out in the council’s Rules of Procedure, the community’s Charter, or separate provisions — local regulations. Conversely, if the operating regime of a local council is set solely by ad hoc orders of the mayor, this contradicts the requirements of Ukraine’s legislation on local self-government. Any access restrictions must be introduced in the interests of the community and communicated to residents clearly and in a timely manner. 

Residents’ access to meetings of collegial local self-government bodies not only guarantees their right to obtain clear, comprehensive information on a wide range of local matters, but also enables them to speak out on the most important decisions affecting their future. Ensuring appropriate transparency in the work of local institutions and public authorities helps secure transparent decision-making at the local level in the interests of the territorial community.

It is important that agendas of meetings of collegial local self-government bodies be published on time and in full, and that the meetings themselves be accessible to residents. City councils should also promptly publish all decisions and accompanying documents. This will foster residents’ real influence on changes in the city, as well as the quality of decisions adopted by the authorities in the interests of their community.

What should city councils do? 

1. Verify whether the city council’s Rules of Procedure provide for residents’ participation in its meetings. If not, introduce the necessary changes in line with the legal comments above. Take into account access to both in-person and online meetings.
2. Create a dedicated page on the city council’s website for the Rules of Procedure. Publish the complete, up-to-date version with the dates of approval and amendments (examples: Volodymyr, Kyiv, Smila).
3. Develop an instruction that sets out, in detail, the algorithms for residents’ access to in-person and online meetings. The instruction may include excerpts from the Rules but should not consist solely of them. It should answer where and how to register; what address to come to; which documents to bring for in-person meetings; and the technical requirements and connection procedure for online meetings, etc. 
4. If participation in open plenary meetings requires prior registration, prepare a template application (if needed) and create an online tool for registration/submission.
5. Create a dedicated page on the city council’s website for access to meetings, and include:
6. a) a link to the current community Charter;
7. b) a link to the current Rules of Procedure of the city council;
8. c) a link to the current regulatory document governing entry/access control to the administrative building of the city council (examples: Kamianets-Podilskyi, Kamianske, Stryi);
9. d) a link to the instruction with a detailed algorithm for residents’ access to in-person and online meetings (example of an instruction for in-person meetings: Kyiv);
10. e) a link to a template application to participate in a meeting (if needed);
11. f) a link to an online tool for registration/submission of the application;
12. g) contact details of the person who can answer residents’ questions.

We also recommend actively communicating the possibility for residents to participate in meetings of collegial local self-government bodies on the city council’s existing communication platforms and encouraging co-creation of city life through appropriate local democracy tools.