The sound of veteran planes over the airport at Kjeller outside Oslo is almost as deafening as the protests lately, against the government from the Labor Party in Sørlandet. But Minister of Local Government Sigbjørn Gjelsvik (Sp) keeps his word when news asks what the message is ahead of tomorrow’s meetings with local politicians in Kristiansand. – When we now investigate a division of Kristiansand, the inhabitants must be heard. And it must happen in the best possible way. Our clear view is that a referendum is what can give the highest support and the greatest legitimacy to the result. Copy reference The SP minister spent Sunday at an air show. Here with Finn Terje Skyrud who is fighting to preserve the airport at Kjeller. Gjelsvik has just opened the air show at the airport threatened with closure right next to the home site at Sørumsand. And he will hardly mind reopening the town halls in Søgne and Songdalen as well – if the inhabitants of the two old municipalities want it. But first he needs a ride in the lion’s den. For the political majority in the large municipality of Kristiansand – with mayor Jan Oddvar Skisland at the helm – is still furious with the government. Want cooperation Gjelsvik says he is looking forward to the meetings with Kristiansand’s mayor Jan Oddvar Skisland and the rest of the political leadership in the southern village. – I want us to enter into a dialogue about a collaboration, says Gjelsvik. But in a letter that the government sent just before the weekend to the state administrator in Agder, it is clear that the large municipality may be dissolved. In the letter, the government writes that Kristiansand municipality is to be regarded as a “forced merger”. – It is people in Søgne who will decide the future of Søgne and people in Songdalen who will decide the future of Songdalen. The government has not pre-concluded. We must listen to what comes out there. – What do you do if Kristiansand municipality says no to holding a referendum? – If we now do not reach an agreement with Kristiansand municipality, then various alternatives have been outlined. But our main focus now is to try to find a solution that gives the greatest possible legitimacy to the process and enter into a dialogue with Kristiansand about a collaboration, says Gjelsvik. Among those who have committed themselves to dissolving the large municipality, there are some who believe that the vote should be done well before the next municipal election. But it is irrelevant – It will not be realistic to conduct a referendum that allows you to go to the polls in the three previous municipalities already in the local elections next autumn, says the Minister of Local Government. Rejecting mayor Kristiansand mayor Jan Oddvar Skisland (Labor Party) says the municipality has prepared well for tomorrow’s meetings. – We must say something about how we have experienced this situation and what we think this imposes on Kristiansand in terms of costs in every way. And I also hope for dialogue, because it was bad with it in advance. But if there is to be a dialogue, then they must have something to offer, Skisland says to news. Kristiansand mayor Jan Oddvar Skisland has received support from the party’s most powerful mayors in the fight against their own government. Photo: Espen Bierud / news The demand for a referendum in connection with the local elections next year, he rejects: – In Norway we have a well-structured democracy, and it is the municipal councils that decide in the municipalities. Deviating from this principle is very special. – Is it so dangerous to hear what the citizens think in this case? – The challenge is that we have worked for five years to build together a culture and an organization with 10,000 employees. This work will be wasted if the municipality is to be split up again. There are some who have not understood the scope of, says Skisland. He expects the government to come to Kristiansand with a desire to listen and “something in the suitcase”. – They must have something to contribute here. Otherwise, there is no point in dialogue or negotiations. Has not given up In the letter to the state administrator, the Ministry of Local Government refers to the Subdivision Act and states that “municipal agencies shall provide the necessary information and to a reasonable extent contribute to the case preparation.” Gjelsvik rejects that this can be read as an attempt to force Kristiansand to hold a referendum, but emphasizes that the inhabitants of the old Søgne and Songdalen municipalities should have their say about the large municipality. – We believe the best way to do this is by referendum in connection with the local elections next autumn, says the Minister of Local Government. – What is the message to those who still hope the government will turn in this matter? – It is not relevant to end the investigation process that we have started, says Gjelsvik. The same message came before the weekend from Labor Secretary Kjersti Stenseng and Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, who will take the trip to Kristiansand tomorrow to meet outraged party colleagues. But the mayor has not given up: – There is a lot of pressure now. And the Center Party probably certainly feels that “now we have been given a victory that we do not want to give up”. But we have not given up this fight.
ttn-69
Full clinch before the dishwashing meeting about Kristiansand – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
