– You do not have to be a rocket scientist to understand this. The Minister must have had a bad day at work when he made this decision, says Arild Jansen from Strand. Thursday morning he takes a smoke in the fine weather on the quay in Forsand. He owns a house there, and thinks it would be much more natural if Forsand became part of Strand. Arild Jansen from Strand. Photo: Mathias Oppedal / news But the government does not want that. Late Wednesday night, the decision was made: Forsand remains in Sandnes municipality. Thus, there will be no boundary adjustment and transition to Strand municipality. This goes across the citizens’ hearing in February, where 54 percent of the sandbows said they wanted to go to Strand. State administrator Bent Høie also thought it would be best if Forsand could go to Strand. Minister of Local Government and District Affairs Sigbjørn Gjelsvik (Sp) is nevertheless confident that the government has made the right decision. – There have been several boundary changes in the area in recent years, and the matter has been discussed several times in the Storting. A possible new boundary adjustment would give new boundaries and new structures, and therefore we have decided that we will keep the boundaries that are today, he says. The yellow color shows Sandnes municipality, which now includes Forsand. Strand municipality is marked in blue. The majority of pre-sand arches believe it is more natural to belong to Strand. It does not go down well with those who have fought to get out of Sandnes since the merger in 2020. Believes Forsand is a victim of political games – We never thought we would end up here. When the email appeared Wednesday night, I went into a kind of state of shock. It is a horse trade that is the basis, says Rolf Magne Haukalid, leader of the action group to get old Forsand into Strand municipality. Rolf Magne Haukalid has worked for a long time to get old Forsand into Strand. Photo: Sindre Kirkaas Normann / news Forsand decision comes while there are still steep fronts in the case concerning the merging of Kristiansand, Søgne and Songdalen. In 2020, the municipalities of Søgne and Songdalen became part of the large municipality of Kristiansand. It happened after a forced merger. Earlier in June, the government said that Søgne and Songdalen can hold a referendum on whether they want to split from Kristiansand. Haukalid’s opinion is that the Socialist People’s Party won a victory in the Kristiansand case, while the Labor Party has won its victory in the Forsand case. – Here, the Labor mayor in Sandnes has had strong ties to the Prime Minister, and the meat weight has been decided. They have not taken into account a factual treatment of the case, he says. Rejects horse trade and meat weight Minister Gjelsvik rejects that there has been a horse trade. – This is a concrete assessment of the border change case that concerns the relationship between Sandnes and Strand. It is a case with a long history and a strong point of view. We have made a comprehensive assessment. Minister of Local Government and District Sigbjørn Gjelsvik. Photo: Gunhild Hjermundrud / news Deputy Mayor Pål Morten Borgli (Frp) in Sandnes thinks it is wrong to talk about meat weight in this case. – 142 votes in the Storting have decided to merge Sandnes and Forsand voluntarily. Action groups cannot at any time want adjustments to the municipal boundaries. Now we have to look ahead, he says. The merger with Sandnes was at one time voluntary, and thus differs from the situation in Kristiansand. But the decision to voluntarily merge was made by a majority of only one vote. This person later changed his mind. Deputy Mayor Pål Morten Borgli in Sandnes. Photo: Eirik Gjesdal / news Sp receives harsh criticism from their own Group Leader Alf Henning Heggheim in the Strand Center Party is very disappointed with the decision. In a press release, he writes that the government is unprincipled and that the Center Party lacks a backbone. – If we first ask people for advice, the advice should be followed. Where has the party gone that listens to people and takes it seriously? This is in sharp contrast to what the Center Party in government advocates for inhaling and exhaling, says Heggheim. He has already received reactions from several key people with positions of trust in the party who are considering resigning. – They think about whether it is worth continuing in a party where there is no correspondence between words and action. Confidence in both the Center Party and the government is thin after this.
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The government has decided that Forsand will remain in Sandnes – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
