– In the Center Party, we went to the polls to dissolve the counties that were merged against the will of the county councils, said Kari Mette Prestrud from the Center Party during the debate in the Storting. She added victory: The Labor Party’s Kari Mette Prestrud from Akershus called the day a feast day, and wore a bunad during the debate in the Storting. Photo: Ragne B. Lysaker – And now it will happen. As said so done. Just after kl. 15 today it was decided that the large counties of Viken, Vestfold and Telemark in addition to Troms and Finnmark will be split up again on 1 January 2024. – The counties of Akershus, Østfold, Buskerud, Vestfold, Telemark, Troms and Finnmark will re-emerge, says Prestrud. But while politicians at municipal, county and national level are arguing about whether it was right to merge the counties or not, it is the employees who are working to fulfill the political statutes. Want stability – Now we want predictability. The request comes from Anders Nybø. He is the main shop steward for the Education Association in Finnmark, has been a shop steward for 10 years, and works in the Education Agency at Finnmark County Municipality. At the merger of Troms and Finnmark, he was concerned about how the process affected the employees in the county municipality. At that time, there was great uncertainty about what job the various employees went to after the counties were merged. Anders Nybø has been a shop steward for 10 years. During the processes of both merging – and now re-dividing the large counties, he has seen that it is struggling for the employees. Photo: Knut-Sverre Horn On 25 February, the county council decided that Troms and Finnmark will be split again. The number of votes for the division was 39, while 18 voted against during an extraordinary county council, where it was also requested that the division take place by 1 January 2024. The wish was that the new county boundaries should be the same as before the county merger. Since January, the employees in the county municipality have been working to split up the large county again. – Of course it is tiring for the employees. You work to merge two organizations, and then you have to work to divide them again, says Nybø. Trygve Slagsvold Vedum and the Center Party promised their voters to split up the counties and municipalities that were merged in 2020. Today it was formally voted through in the Storting. Photo: Lisbeth Skei / news – Going back in time Center Party leader and Minister of Finance Trygve Slagsvold Vedum says this has been an important issue for the party. – This is an important day. We have listened to people, and now the counties are more adapted to the local conditions, he said on Monday when the matter was debated. The Center Party’s parliamentary representative from Troms, Ivar B. Prestbakmo criticizes the previous government, led by the Conservatives, for increasing to centralization with the regional reform. Photo: Jørn Inge Johansen / news His colleagues in the north have also worked hard to reverse the merger, and have especially pointed out the proximity to where decisions are made as important. – How we choose to organize society, sets the premises for what desired social development you want. From my home in Salangen it is 100 miles to Trondheim. It is also 100 km to Kirkenes in Finnmark, said parliamentary representative from Troms, Ivar B. Prestbakmo from the Center Party, during the debate in the Storting. – Fortunately, there is no majority in this parliamentary term to centralize society, he added in conclusion. Mudassar Kapur in the Conservative Party believes that they are now going back in time when they vote to reverse the merger. Photo: Torstein Boe / Torstein Boe The Conservatives do not agree to split up the counties again. Mudassar Kapur (H) threw into the debate that the Labor Party is overruled by the Center Party and their election promises. – Now hundreds of millions, expertise and resources will be used to take Norway backwards. Time and resources will now be spent on implementing necessary reforms. It is not a recognizable Labor Party. – It is an embarrassing development, Kapur added. Must focus on the employees During the debate in the Storting, there was great focus on how wrong or right it was to merge municipalities and counties in 2020. A large part of the debate was also the Conservatives’ proposal to remove the entire county level. Runar Sjåstad (Labor Party) from Finnmark would rather focus on what the main shop steward Anders Nybø is worried about – namely the employees who are directly involved in the processes of merging and splitting up again. – There has been little or nothing about loyal employees who have stood up and done a good job. Regardless of working conditions, they have faithfully followed up the political decisions, Sjåstad said. The Labor Party’s Runar Sjåstad from Finnmark praises the employees in the county municipalities who work on the political decisions. Photo: Knut Åserud The Finnmark politician would rather focus on what the regional reform entails. – There has been far too little focus on how we should rig the county municipalities for them to deliver high quality in the areas of responsibility they have. There has been very little about the tasks, little about culture, industry, transport, dental health and public health. Sjåstad believes it makes sense to continue a good collaboration across county boundaries, even though more are now being split up again. – After all, we have more that binds us together and unites us, than that divides us.
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The large counties will be split again, now the employees want peace and predictability – news Troms and Finnmark
