City of Lappeenranta Welfare and Educational Services’ service network proposal published – available for comments until 2 February 2024

On 12 December 2022, Lappeenranta City Council decided to launch a service network survey in 2023 in connection with the adoption of the budget. The survey and the proposal prepared by the city have now been completed, and the City Council is due to decide on the service network at its meeting on 4 March 2024. 

The service network survey is an assessment of the future need for day care centres, schools, libraries and sports facilities in Lappeenranta, based on the projected population of Lappeenranta and the number of children and young people in particular. The service network survey explains which day care centres, schools and libraries are needed in different residential areas in Lappeenranta and which buildings should be renovated or replaced with new buildings.  

Different underlying starting points

The service network proposal by Juhani Junnilainen, Head of Welfare and Educational Services, has been prepared based on the following starting points. 

In the proposal being prepared for the City Council to decide on, the amount of space per pupil to be reserved for use by basic education in 2036 corresponds roughly to that of 2023. The aim is also to locate other services for children and young people as well as cultural and sports services at the schools. The service network will be planned so that the city’s total amount of house construction investments and triple net rent liabilities amount to a maximum of €300 million in 2023–2036.  

The financing base for services for children and young people is based on the number of children and young people. Since the number of children and young people in Lappeenranta is decreasing sharply and the aim is still to use the same amount of money per child and young person, the service network survey includes several proposals for the reorganisation of activities in different residential areas. 

The changes proposed in the survey aim to avoid dismissals and resorting to part-time employment. The number of employees is expected to adjust to the change mainly through the normal retirement of personnel. The service network proposal takes into account the increase in the number of jobs and housing construction by reserving additional pupil places in areas where plots for new construction have been reserved. 

Comments are welcomed until 2 February – resident events will be held on 17 and 23 January 

The service network proposal is available on the city’s website. The website also presents in more detail the underlying factors and the decision-making schedule. 

The City of Lappeenranta requests free-form statements on the service network proposal to be taken into account in the processing of the matter. Statements must be submitted in writing by 2 February 2024 either by email to winkki@lappeenranta.fi, by delivering them in writing to Customer Service Point Winkki located in the Lappeenranta City Hall or by posting them to the following address: Villimiehenkatu 1, 53100 Lappeenranta. 

Furthermore, the city will also organise two presentation and discussion events open to all. The events are identical in content. The first event will be held on 17 January at 18.00 in the lunch room of Joutseno School and the second one on 23 January at 18.00 in the Council Hall of the Lappeenranta City Hall.

You can also participate in both events remotely. The event links will become available on the city’s website at https://lappeenranta.fi/fi well before the events.

For more information, please contact:

Juhani Junnilainen, Head of Welfare and Educational Services,
tel. +358 40 190 6270, juhani.junnilainen@lappeenranta.fi

Jukka Mielikäinen, Project Director, Lappeenrannan Toimitilat Oy
tel. +358 400 753 489, jukka.mielikainen@lappeenranta.fi