Czech regional cities face quality of life and contract transparency issues

Recent reports from the anti-corruption watchdog Hlídač státu reveal varying levels of fiscal transparency and quality of life in Czech regional cities.

In České Budějovice, the quality of life index has declined significantly, dropping to 58th place. However, the city improved its risk and transparency rating to a B. A notable concern remains the proportion of contracts awarded to companies whose representatives or entities sponsored political parties; such contracts accounted for 34 percent of all agreements in the recent electoral period. Among municipal entities, Teplárna České Budějovice received the lowest rating (E) due to the high volume of such contracts.

Ústí nad Labem ranked last among regional cities regarding quality of life and holds the highest share of contracts with significant deficiencies at 1.03 percent. Despite this, the city improved its K-Index (key risk index) from a C to a B rating. While the city's budget remained nearly balanced, political opposition has criticized the accumulation of large financial reserves, arguing that funds should have been invested more heavily in local infrastructure.