In Finland Local authorities
are responsible for the provision of primary care, specialist care and dental care,
provide child day-care, welfare for the aged and the disabled, and a wide range of other social services,
run the country’s comprehensive and upper secondary schools, vocational institutes and polytechnics,
provide adult education, art classes, cultural and recreational services, and run libraries,
are responsible for water and energy supply, waste management, street and road maintenance and environmental protection,
develop and support public transport,
seek to promote commerce and employment in their area,
supervise land use and construction in their area, and
promote a healthy living environment.
Finnish local authorities are continuously improving their services and seek to ensure performance and efficiency. Several municipal services can already be accessed over the Internet and more online services are becoming available.
Local authorities can provide services to residents in different ways. As local authorities cannot manage everything on their own, it often makes most sense to provide services jointly with other local authorities, communities and enterprises.
Local authorities often set up a joint municipal authority to establish co-operation on a more permanent basis. Joint authorities typically provide educational and social and health-care services. Several local authorities can together establish a joint health centre or vocational institutions. Joint authorities include regional councils, which define regional policy, and hospital districts, which are responsible for specialist medical care.