234 days after the previous divorce, Lier is on the move again. On 1 January, the municipality was part of the dissolution of Viken county, and became part of Buskerud. Now the agricultural municipality would rather become cohabitants with Akershus. – I think we benefit from having a more seamless public transport service and better transport towards Greater Oslo, since Lier is a natural part of the housing and employment market for that area. We also see that Akershus is able to solve some tasks in other ways, says mayor Kjetil Kivle (H) to news. Lier mayor Kjetil Kivle says he has received a lot of feedback from residents who have asked him to focus on the east. Photo: Cecilie Valentine Brekke / news Norway’s second best It is only a few days since Lier was voted Norway’s second best municipality by Kommunal Rapport. Therefore, Akershus may get an attractive mover, and a corresponding loss for Buskerud. Norway’s ten best municipalities According to the Municipal Barometer, these are Norway’s ten best municipalities to live in: 1. Kongsberg2. Lier3. Asker4. Oppdal5. Gloppen6. Stjørdal7. Gjesdal8. Grimstad9. Trondheim10. Gran Check the top 30 and read more about the award at Kommunal Rapport. The municipal barometer is a comparison of the country’s municipalities based on 157 key figures within 12 sectors. The Buskerud municipality of Kongsberg came in first place, while the Akershus municipality of Asker came in third. Just under 30,000 people live in Lier, which is located just outside Drammen – in the direction of Oslo. – Failure to dissolve Viken Høyre, Venstre and Christian People’s Party, which has a narrow majority in the municipal council, will order an investigation into county membership in a week’s time. – We want the facts on the table, so that we can make a good decision. We believe the residents could benefit from a transition, says Kivle, and adds: – It is also not the case that it is old Buskerud that has been resurrected. We have lost Røyken and Hurum, with which Lier had a very close collaboration in the past. Which county should Lier belong to? Buskerud Akershus I don’t care Show result – Does it mean that you are dissatisfied with Buskerud, when you think Akershus solves the tasks in a better way? – I think it was obviously wrong to dissolve Viken. Now we are left with a small Buskerud after Viken. The economy is bad, and the county is unable to solve the tasks as they should, something that was warned about. He says that Lier made a reservation in advance, that if there was a dissolution, they would choose which county the municipality would be best served by belonging to. Ap, Sp and SV are surprised The opposition parties in the municipal council are surprised by today’s outcome. – We have not been able to discuss the proposal within the party yet. Therefore, we will not say anything about it until it comes up politically, says group leader in the Labor Party in Lier, Silje Kjellesvik Norheim. – This is a short-sighted and populist proposal, and comes because Buskerud is unable to put good public transport solutions in place, says Espen Lahnstein. In that case, we will be an outlier in a populous county and have to fight for funds with other populous municipalities located centrally, which is group leader for the Center Party in Lier. Kathy Lie sits on the municipal council for SV and is also a parliamentary representative. She emphasizes that the party has not discussed the proposal, but says that she initially thinks it is terribly sad. – The more municipalities that move out of a county, the weaker the county becomes. So that does not make the situation any better for Buskerud. It will be to save yourself, and lift the others onto the boat, says Kathy Lie. – Do you think there are only financial reasons behind the proposal? – Yes, I mean it. I understand that argument about public transport because there are many people who live in Lier and commute to Oslo. But it is not a given that Ruter, which is the public transport company for Akershus, thinks it is cost-effective to run more buses in Lier either. Want a seamless ticket system 60 percent of those who commute from Lier work in Asker, Bærum and Oslo. – We think it is more realistic with a seamless ticket system if Lier is part of Akershus, says Høyre’s group leader Frode Sundseth. The dividing line between Buskerud and Akershus looks like a tombstone. It fits well now that the majority of Lier politicians want to move to Akershus. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB The parties also point to areas such as secondary education, climate and environmental measures, business development, county roads, culture, sport, public health, integration, dental health. – In 2024, Akershus has set aside NOK 25 million for measures to make the Oslofjord healthy. For comparison, Buskerud has set aside 0. The Drammensfjord is part of the Oslofjord and it is far from healthy, says Venstre’s group leader Tove Hofstad. The Buskerud bear roars less The municipal director will, after ordering the case, present the investigation case before Christmas, and Lier municipality can then possibly submit an application for a transfer from Buskerud to Akershus. The Storting will only be able to consider a transition from 1 January 2028, after the next county council election. – In the event of a transfer to Akershus county, Lier must still “be master of his own house”. We will not merge with Asker or Bærum, promises Tone Kristine Cook Skustad, group leader in KrF. Like many other county municipalities, Buskerud is struggling badly with its finances, and will have to make major cuts going forward: Published 22.08.2024, at 08.53 Updated 22.08.2024, at 10.41
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Lier will leave Buskerud and become part of Akershus – news Buskerud – Local news, TV and radio
