– I think a referendum was unnecessary, says the leader of the Conservative Party to news. On Friday evening, the result of the referendum on whether Søgne and Songdalen should leave Kristiansand became clear. The majority voted to keep the large municipality: 54 per cent of voters in Søgne, where turnout was 82 per cent. 57 per cent of voters in Songdalen, where turnout was 72 per cent. Although the leader of the Conservative Party is happy that there was a clear result with a high turnout, she is critical of the process. Erna Solberg clarifies that the government had decided that the municipal councils should decide whether a case should be taken up again or not. – When the Center Party did not get what they wanted, they changed the laws and their own plans. It has created a very large degree of uncertainty, she says. Sande: – It was important Municipal and District Minister Erling Sande (Sp) believes it was important that the people were heard in a citizens’ hearing. – The commitment is obviously great. It shows that it is right to hear people in this kind of question. Local Government and District Minister Erling Sande (Sp) Photo: Nadir Mohammad Alam / news Although the case has received a lot of criticism, Sande feels that support for carrying out the vote gradually increased. – It has always been the main point for me that we do not run people over and use coercion, as Erna Solberg and the Conservative Party have done in the municipal reform. That you listen to the citizens and let them have their say in such a process. It is not only good for participation and democracy, but also for legitimacy afterwards, believes Sande. – In Søgne, 53.9 per cent said no to secession. Is it such a large majority that it makes it easier to say that you listen to it? – It is clear advice as we perceive it. We have said all along that we will ask people for advice and that we will listen to the advice we received. Sande says the government will now go into more detail about the election results, but clarifies that the government will listen to the results of the referendum. – There are too many small municipalities Erna Solberg now believes that it is important to build teams in the municipality and look ahead. She believes that a clear result will make it easier to put the case behind them – – Such stopping points create great uncertainty among those who work in the municipality. It creates disturbances in what is most important – that the municipality is present for those who need it most. If the Conservative Party comes to power at the next general election, Erna Solberg wants municipal mergers to be primarily voluntary. At the same time, she is clear that the government can cut through in some cases, so that individual municipalities do not block amalgamation processes. – The responsibility is placed on the municipal politicians so that they must organize themselves in a good way. If you don’t want the Storting and the government to draw the map, that puts a greater responsibility on the politicians, she says. The right-wing leader says it may become difficult for the public sector to attract the best possible expertise in a labor market with fewer people in the future. – It is important that Norway organizes itself so that the weakest users get the best services. Unfortunately, we do not have a public sector that is organized like this, and there are too many small municipalities. Happy with the clear result Are Herdlevær is head of the Trade Union in Kristiansand municipality. He represents around 3,500 employees in the municipality, and says many of the members are terribly sorry about what happened, while others are happy. Are Herdlevær is head of the Trade Union in Kristiansand municipality. Photo: Miriam Grov – A marriage is usually easier than a divorce. It won’t be the same fight for jobs as we would have if there was a dissolution, he says. Herdlevær is also happy that the result was as clear as it was. – Absolutely. The big nightmare was getting 50.1 percent one way or the other. Then this would never end.
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Erna Solberg believes the referendum was unnecessary – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
