– After assessing the application from Ålesund, the conclusion is that the municipality will be compensated NOK 200 million for the costs of sharing, says Minister for Municipalities and Districts Sigbjørn Gjelsvik. Today he sent a letter to Ålesund municipality about the award. Local Government and District Minister Sigbjørn Gjelsvik gives NOK 200 million to settle the divorce between Ålesund and Haram. Archive photo. Photo: Tom Balgaard / news In June 2022, the flag went up when it became clear that the Storting agreed that Haram should be allowed to become its own municipality again. They thus became the first forcibly merged municipality that was allowed to separate. But there has been great uncertainty about how much of the cost the government will take. Ålesund municipality has calculated that it will cost NOK 237 million and has stopped the process because they have not received confirmation from the government. The unresolved situation has been so burdensome that several employees have resigned from their jobs. Now they have been told that they will be reimbursed NOK 200 million. That is 37 million less than they had asked for. Happy and relieved Mayor of Ålesund, Eva Vinje Aurdal (Ap) is happy and relieved about the new hand. – Now we can move on and take up work on the division. We need that because we’ve had a bad time all along, says Aurdal. She further says that the number must now be analyzed and that it looks as if they have not received the margin of safety they asked for. It can present trouble. – I don’t know if it is possible that we can come back if it turns out that the accounts were broken, so I just have to find out, says Aurdal. The mayor will call for an extraordinary chairman’s meeting, either Friday or Monday. Mayor of Ålesund, Eva Vinje Aurdal, says she never got the large map of new Ålesund hung up in her office, before it will soon be out of date. Photo: Josef Benoni Ness Tveit / news Not within the criteria Gjelsvik says that the government has always been clear that they must cover the “necessary and direct costs according to a sober standard” for divorces in forcibly merged counties and municipalities. He says that the margin Ålesund had put in, the 31 million they did not get, was not within these limits. – Covering a margin of safety is not within the criteria we have set up, he says. Initially, the government had set aside 200 million for the division of both municipalities and counties in the country. But political commentator at news, Lars Nehru Sand, believes the sum will be over one billion kroner. It will cover the costs for the division of Viken, Vestfold and Telemark and Troms and Finnmark in addition to Ålesund. But now Ålesund and Haram have received the entire pot of 200 million. Mayor Eva Vinje Aurdal and municipal director Jon Steven Hasseldal were told about the sum of money that came from the government just a minute before the news was out. Now they have called for an extra meeting of the chairmanship. Photo: Josef Benoni Ness Tveit / news Satisfied with the amount Deputy mayor Vebjørn Krogsæter (SP) in Ålesund is also happy with the news. – I think we should be very satisfied. We must remember that in that application for 237 million, there is 15 per cent uncertainty. Subtract one from that, and there is approximately 200 million documented in the application, says Krogsæter. Deputy mayor Vebjørn Krogsæter (Sp) is well satisfied. He is also running as a mayoral candidate for the new Haram municipality in the election in September. Archive photo. Photo: Trond Vestre / news He would also like to have the last 15 percent, but thinks it is possible to manage within the framework that has now been given and get started with the work as quickly as possible. The municipal director, Steven Hasseldal, also appreciated the clarification they have now received. – It was a very, very good clarification. We have been at a standstill for a long time now, and have stopped the process. So the fact that we have now been promised 200 million is roughly what we asked for, minus the risk premium. – Waste of money Storting representative Mudassar Kapur (H) is critical and believes the money should rather have been used to create better services for the residents. – We have a government that constantly talks about prioritizing money and cutting services. At the same time, they can therefore afford to spend over one billion on reversing the municipal and regional reform. It is a waste of taxpayers’ money, he says. The government states that the forcibly merged county municipalities will receive an answer to their applications soon. Municipal director Steven Hasseldal believes that Ålesund will be able to complete the divorce with the money they will now receive, despite the fact that it is less than they asked for. Photo: Josef Benoni Ness Tveit / news Ålesund will be a smaller municipality if the divorce with Haram goes as it should. Photo: Josef Benoni Ness Tveit / news
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Ålesund municipality gets 200 million for municipal division – news Møre og Romsdal – Local news, TV and radio
