LED-Local Economic Development

Improve cooperation in explaining, application, and implementation of government regulations.
Expand City Hall office hours, better communication, and a customer orientation of the administrative staff.
Reduce bureaucracy, reduce terms of administrative procedures.
Accelerate and increase professionalism in decision making, set priorities of city needs, and keep these priorities.
Simplified administrative processes for licenses and permits.

Support local firms at tender offers issued by the city.
Improve access to financial resources for businesses.
Improve terms for offering city-owned land for sale or lease.
Support local businesses against market sellers.
Better communication between businesses and City Hall.
Better conditions for start-up businesses.
Make available long- and short-term financial resources for purchase of land and buildings for businesses.
Differentiate rents charged for city-owned property to encourage wanted but less profitable services.

More efficient snow removal from roads, better maintenance of traffic signs.
Increase financial resources for road maintenance, overall road upgrading and modernization of the road network to improve traffic safety.
Increase number of public transportation routes, guarantee transportation for second shifts.
Increase number of traffic signs, improve transportation in the city, better functioning parking system.

Ensure safety for employees and property.
Address crime rate issue, including thefts and violence against visitors to the city, prevent car robberies.
Increase police patrols on places with high population density, solve the traffic jams, cooperate with Czech Republic Police.
Increase number of police, improve their equipment, organizational changes together with new policy of wages.
Legislative changes in municipal and public order-related laws.

Among the positive elements most often mentioned were:

Geographic location, either close to the capital or national borders, with good transportation access.
Industrial region with large labor supply and long industrial tradition.
Administrative and social center with good market potential.
Physical appearance of the city, renovated historical center.
Positive City Hall approach to businesses and entrepreneurs.
Good infrastructure, approved Physical Master Plan.
Industrial park with technical infrastructure, availability of land and buildings.
Good condit6ions for tourism development, natural resources, location.

Examples of negative factors in business climate were:

Lack of re-qualification program for unskilled labor.
High unemployment resulting in low purchasing power, small market, small number of households.
Lack of technical trained professionals and university graduates.
Lack of medium-sized companies in private sector, lack of small companies in retail and services.
Poor transportation access to the city and in the city, parking in the city.
Lack of cooperation among local businesses and institutions, lack of concept of SME support.
Public safety.
Negative attitude of authorities towards businesses, authorities are not pro-business, low professional quality of officials, long terms of procedures.
Local firms not preferred in tenders, construction works are won by firms outside the region.
Damaged environment and poor health of population.
Local economy depends too much on the largest employer.
Lack of infrastructure, city-owned sites suitable for businesses, lack of buildings suitable for expansion of business activities.
Increasing apathy of population.
Lack of financial resources for businesses.
Lack of regional self-administration and transfer of competencies from center.
Saturated market with construction capacities.
Inadequate or shortage of housing.

ANNEX 1. ANSWERS FROM BUSINESS ATTITUDE SURVEY OF THE HUNDREDS OF COMPANIES IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC