Press Release, 23.11.2022

Photo: The Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg / Photo by the Yaboko Press Service

The Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg adopted in the third reading the draft law of St. Petersburg “On the budget of St. Petersburg for 2023 and the planning period of 2024 and 2025”.

The Yabloko faction voted against the budget, and, like the Bureau of the regional branch of Yabloko om St.Petersburg, considers the draft budget unsatisfactory for many reasons.

The share of non-transparent spending at the discretion of the city government through the reserve fund has grown, while spending on important city programmes affecting thousands of St. Petersburg residents has decreased. At the same time, budget funds, among other things, will be used for purposes connected with the special military operation in Ukraine and elimination of its consequences.

Thus, the share of expenditures on health care in the proposed budget decreased (13.8% instead of 14.7%), the share of expenditures on education (20.3% instead of 21.5%) and social support of citizens (10.5% instead of 11.2%) also dropped compared to 2022. In addition, there are no guarantees of financing the construction of the Kalininsko-Krasnoselskaya metro line, no funds are allocated to provision of housing for people on the waiting list (they have been in the queue since 1981). According to Yabloko estimates, funds allocated for capital repairs of housing (at the same time, an increase in fees the owners have to pay has already been announced) and for the resettlement of communal apartments are insufficient.

At the same time, the Governor, with the support of the pro-government parliamentary majority, proposes to increase the reserve fund of the government of St. Petersburg to 50 billion roubles, which amounts to about 5% of budget expenditures. The government spends these funds uncontrollably, does not promptly report on their spending and refuses to provide deputies with detailed information on spending of these funds. Also part of this fund is allocated to financing of projects not related to the development of the city (including payments to “contract soldiers” who entered military service in the battalions formed in St. Petersburg to participate in a special military operation, and through the Pebeda (Victory) fund – for works carried out in Mariupol).

The Yabloko faction also notes that in accordance with the new procedure for the second reading of the budget law, only those amendments of deputies that received the support of the Governor were put to the vote at the plenary session of the Legislative Assembly. The amendments from the Yabloko faction were not even put to a vote, which contradicts the St.Petersburg Charter and violates the rights of voters represented by the Yabloko deputies.