TRANSFORMING TOWN MUNICIPALITIES INTO VILLAGES WITH LAW NO. 6360: THE CASE OF SİMAV DISTRICT OF KÜTAHYA

Abstract

Local governments perform essential services in our country as well as all over the world. In providing these services effectively, the services must have an optimal size. Important changes have been made in the criteria for establishing municipalities and the municipalities’ number has been reduced by closing small municipalities with the legal regulations made in Turkey. Regarding the subject, especially Law No. 5393 and Law No. 6360 are important. It is stated that 559 town municipalities will turn into villages in Law No. 6360. Simav district of Kütahya appears as the district that has turned into a village with the most (18) townships. The population of this research consists of 559 town municipalities converted into villages, while the sample consists of 18 towns that have turned into villages in Simav. By utilizing focus group discussions, which is a qualitative data collection technique, the opinions of the town municipalities’ mayors that were closed down in Simav on the transformation of the municipalities into villages and the loss of their legal personality were taken and the resulting situation was analyzed.