“A massacre of the ferry service, a slow death, destruction of the coast and the district.” These are just some of the many reactions after the proposals for cuts to the ferries in Møre and Romsdal were put forward on Wednesday. County mayor Line Hatmosø Hoem (Ap) says there is no one in the county who wants to implement this. – But we see that the underfunding we have had over many years makes it difficult to operate the ferries as we have been doing. We now welcome a ferry rebellion again. – We will not recognize our county in the years to come with what is presented now, says county mayor Line Hatmosø Hoem (Ap). Photo: Marius André Jenssen Stenberg / news – Favors big cities So to speak, all the ferries in the county, apart from the tourist ferry that goes in season to Geiranger, will be cut. – Møre og Romsdal is a county that depends on our ferries. It is our county road in many ways. For business and the population, this will mean dramatic changes, says the county mayor. Almost all ferry and fast boat connections will be affected by cuts if the transport committee’s proposal is adopted. The red squares are cut, while the green squares are unchanged. What could make the situation worse is if the government adopts the proposal from the expert committee. The committee has proposed a new revenue system for the county councils when eleven counties are to become 15, which among other things makes Møre and Romsdal and other counties losers. Hatmosø Hoem says they will work to make the government understand how serious it can be for the counties. – It looks like more densely built-up areas and large cities are favoured. It is not related to “ordinary people’s turn”, so we will work against our own now, says the county mayor. news has contacted Per Vidar Kjølmoen (Ap), parliamentary representative for Møre og Romsdal, and known to many as the “ferry political wonderboy”, but he has traveled away and does not wish to comment on the matter. Photo: Eirik Haukenes / news – Vedum is very concerned about this. Jenny Klinge (Sp), parliamentary representative for Møre and Romsdal, believes there is no doubt that the counties receive too few funds to operate the ferries. She acknowledges that it is the government’s responsibility to ensure that the ferry cuts become a reality. Jenny Klinge (Sp), parliamentary representative for Møre og Romsdal, says she agrees with party member Kristin Sørheim, who called the cut proposal a massacre of the ferry service. Photo: Ann Eli Nøsen / news – Are you able to ensure that the county council gets the funds they need to avoid the cuts in the proposal? – I hope and believe so. It is difficult to promise anything when I am not finance minister, but I know that finance minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum is very concerned about this. He has been around ferry connections in Møre and Romsdal to talk about how important this is. – What specifically are you going to do? – I will be careful not to prescribe any budget negotiation and processing of the revised national budget, but it is in those rounds that we provide funds to the county councils, says Klinge.
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Line Hatmosø Hoem welcomes a ferry rebellion – news Møre og Romsdal – Local news, TV and radio
