A digital, people-oriented and transparent municipality

The DP will exploit the potential for digitisation, and will place the fruits of the progress made in this regard at the service of the citizens.

A smart municipality.

We in the DP would like to advance the “smart city” way of thinking and fully exploit the potential offered by networked urban living, but without any compromises in terms of data protection. Our municipality should therefore have an alderman or an alderwoman competent for digital matters.

Surfing free of charge.

The DP Gemeng Mamer will offer citizens and tourists free access to a stable internet connection at frequently visited places. This will make the experience of paying a visit to the town centre all the more agreeable.

Fibre-optic expansion.

Access to high-speed internet is a fundamental for bringing about the digital transformation in the world of work. The DP is committed to ensuring a nationwide high- speed network for all households, businesses and schools.

Comprehensible, multilingual communication.

We will do all in our power to overcome language barriers and make communication with the citizens as simple and comprehensible as possible. This includes the availability in several languages of fully accessible pages of the municipality’s websites. Such communication should also reflect the demographic reality in the municipality. The DP Gemeng Mamer is committed to gathering panels to test this communication offer. We are going to reform Mamer TV so that the citizens have more time to speak alongside the politicians. Here too, we advocate a multilingual approach that should integrate the new concept.

Promoting the diversification of communication.

We in the DP remain committed to modern, digital, inclusive, interactive and targeted communication within the different municipalities. For us, it’s essential that anyone wishing to know what is going on should have access to all the latest news and should be able to obtain information as quickly as possible. Our aim is to promote all forms of communication, such as SMS2Citizen, newsletters, social media, the homepage, the municipal app and the neighbourhood app, and to tailor these to the demands of the digital age. But communication does not only take place via the Internet. That is why we will install large screens on which the most important news of the municipality and upcoming events can be read at strategic locations.

Strengthening the participation of foreign citizens in municipal elections.

The DP Gemeng Mamer will offer foreign residents the option, immediately upon registering with the municipality, of having their names entered on the electoral roll for municipal or European elections, and inform them of the rights and obligations which this entails.

Forging ahead with e-administration.

In recent years, efforts have already been made to enable most administrative applications and requests to municipalities to be dealt with online. The DP will extend digital administration further and more quickly, making it possible in all areas. In addition, citizens should be able to call up all types of non-personal administrative documents and political decisions on the municipality’s website. Moreover, it should be possible for all payments (invoices, revenue stamps, etc.) to be made using a credit card or mobile payment apps. With this in mind, we will completely overhaul the www.mamer.lu website and make it a modern platform accessible to all. At the same time, we will develop the Mamer app so that all information and procedures can also be accessed via this medium. Citizens should have the possibility to be automatically informed about administrative news, political decisions or event agendas. Citizens should be able to choose whether they want to receive the municipal newsletter in digital or printed form.

A listening municipality.

For the DP Gemeng Mamer, it’s essential that the college of the mayor and aldermen should be transparent and accessible in its dealings with the citizens. We commit ourselves to regular citizen consultations with members of the college of aldermen and public meetings at which citizens can present their concerns, problems and proposals. We will ensure that all suggestions and ideas are promptly and professionally dealt with by the administrative authorities.

Expanding citizens’ participation.

We in the DP Gemeng Mamer want to further increase the involvement of citizens, thereby strengthening participatory democracy. To that end, citizens should be encouraged to present proposals for new projects which they can discuss with the relevant municipal officials. All residents, whether acting as individuals, collectively or as an association, can submit a project designed, roughly speaking, to help brighten up and improve urban life.

Digital technology tuition/courses.

Many people find it difficult to get to grips with the various new technologies. In order that they should not lose out when it comes to acquiring digital skills, the municipalities should organise suitable courses or citizens’ meetings aimed at making such persons fit to take part in the digital world. The municipality should also offer a platform to bring together people who need help in the digital world and people who can provide it.

A professional administration.

For the DP, the municipalities represent a reliable point of contact and provider of services. In order that they should be able to fulfil their many different tasks, the DP Gemeng Mamer will invest in the professionalisation and ongoing training of all municipal staff.

Promoting flexible working arrangements as an employer.

The DP Gemeng Mamer wants to take into account the changes that are happening in the world of work, and to meet the desire of many municipal officials for more flexible working arrangements and a better balance between working life and family life. Where expedient, it should be possible for employees to periodically work from home.

Video transmission of meetings of the municipal council.

The DP considers that it must be possible for any interested citizen to follow meetings of the municipal council. Consequently, we are committed to ensuring that every meeting is filmed and transmitted either live or on a time-delayed basis via the internet.

Businesses

Small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of well-functioning municipalities, and contribute substantially to the attractiveness and invigoration of our villages and towns. It follows that the maintenance and new settlement of businesses and commercial enterprises warrant the full attention of those responsible for municipal policy. The DP is very strongly committed to promoting retail trade, including in rural areas.

Preserving the retail sector.

The DP is convinced that the distance needing to be covered and the journey time involved in shopping for basic necessities and obtaining basic services must remain as short as possible for citizens. We will continue to campaign for the preservation of the retail sector in the various localities. Where this is not economically possible, we will enter into dialogue with the service providers concerned, with a view to the development of alternative models (mobile branches, itinerant sales). We will test the acceptance by citizens of secure vending machines for locally and regionally produced essential goods at strategic locations in the municipality and, if the feedback is positive, we will make the offer permanent. Local markets should be held in village centres.

Establishment of a local business forum.

We want to organise a forum in the municipality with enterprises and businesses, including where appropriate with the business association concerned, in order to discuss their wishes and ideas. We will introduce a regular “Job Day” – or “Jobdag” – to bring local businesses and job seekers from the community and the region into direct contact.

Further promoting industrial and commercial zones.

The DP would like to focus further on municipal and regional industrial and commercial zones in which already established undertakings can grow their business and which may prove attractive as places in which to engage in new activities. In our view, it is important that such zones should be served by efficient links (an existing road network, buses, trains, etc.), and that the generation of commuter traffic within towns and villages should be avoided.

Supporting start-up businesses.

Startup-Firmen It’s not easy for start-up businesses to get off the ground. They often lack the necessary capital and premises. Consequently, we want to make parts of municipal activity zones and office premises available at an affordable cost to young, innovative start-ups and local handicraft businesses.

The sharing economy.

The DP will create, where appropriate in collaboration with neighbouring municipalities, structures to enable citizens to lend to or borrow from each other diverse household objects, such as mowing machines, drills or similar devices, as and when needed. The DP Gemeng Mamer will also support local initiatives to that end.

Supporting “repair cafés”.

In line with the need to conserve resources and to promote the circular economy, we need to encourage the repairing of appliances, machines, devices and utensils. The DP supports the so-called “repair cafés” – in which one can not only have things repaired but can also acquire know-how. Such “repair cafés” also help to promote social interaction in our municipalities.

Developing co-working spaces.

Co-working spaces offer significant potential for innovation and are becoming increasingly important as an alternative to home office or the classic workstation. In addition, they help to very substantially reduce commuter traffic. The DP Gemeng Mamer wants to fully exploit and expand the potential of this new form of working together. We will be analysing right away how to make co-working spaces available.

Pop-up stores.

In order to counter the phenomenon of properties standing vacant in town and city centres, to attract new retailers and to reinvigorate the centre of our villages, the DP Gemeng Mamer will intensify its efforts to encourage the temporary use of retail spaces.

Municipal finances

The DP advocates a forward-looking fiscal policy in the form of medium-term financial planning.

Efficient budgetary management.

The DP favours a more efficient spending policy for municipalities and is looking, by means of so-called “screenings” and (inter-)municipal purchasing centres, to create additional means for new initiatives and investments. We want the municipality to pursue a responsible debt policy. Debt capacities should only be used when demand-oriented investment in the future of the municipality and of its residents is necessary, without in the process losing sight of the follow-up costs affecting the municipal budget.

Alternative financing models.

We in the DP are convinced that the public-private financing of investment projects, involving private undertakings and interested citizens, offers great potential. By the same token, alternative financing concepts, such as public-private partnerships or crowdfunding in relation to solar systems or wind turbines, should be assessed in terms of their feasibility and implemented where appropriate.

Regular audits.

The DP considers that every municipality should undergo, at 12-yearly intervals (two legislatures), a financial audit by a firm of auditors. The citizens must then be informed of the results thereof.

Promoting inter-municipal collaboration.

Very few municipalities can offer their citizens every type of infrastructure and every service. Consequently, the DP will be intensifying its efforts to promote inter-municipal cooperation. This creates opportunities to exploit synergies in relation to existing structures, services and new infrastructure projects (swimming pools, tennis courts, etc.) and to acquire large pieces of machinery, resulting in costs savings.

Back to the summary.