– The money could have been used for free school meals and teachers who need better wages, says Jackie Kamanzi, who is a student at Skogmo Secondary School in Skien. She is skeptical of the price tag for dividing the county and believes the money should be used for something else. Less than a year ago, the population was in favor of splitting up the forcibly merged counties of Viken and Vestfold and Telemark. This was shown in news’s opinion poll in December 2021. Have your say at the bottom of the matter. Say no to splitting In Vestfold and Telemark, 69 per cent said they were in favor of splitting the counties last year. Just under a year later, only half answer the same; 37 percent. 24 per cent said no to the division of counties last year. Now 48 percent say no. Several have become uncertain. We see the same in Viken. Last year, a clear majority of 56 percent said yes to splitting up. Now only 37 percent think the same. The figures come from a survey InFact has carried out for news: Facts about the survey: Performer: InFact ASPopulation: Vestfold and Telemark, residents +18 yearsNumber of interviews: 1,014 Population: Viken, residents +18 yearsNumber of interviews: 1,014 Margin of error: Maximum +/- 3.0% points apply to the total sample Method: InFact automatic telephone interviewsPeriod 2 November 2022 This is how we asked: December 2021: Do you think that Vestfold and Telemark should be split into two counties? 69 percent answered yes. November 2022: Was it right to split up Vestfold and Telemark? 37 percent answered yes. Viken: January 2022: Should Viken be split into three counties again? 56 percent answered yes. November 2022: Was it right to decide to split Viken into Buskerud, Akershus and Østfold? 37 percent answered yes. – Large sums of money County mayor Terje Riis-Johansen (Sp) in Vestfold and Telemark believes the change in people’s opinions is due to more people becoming aware of how much it costs to dissolve the counties. He has asked the government for NOK 150 million for the process. – There is a lot of money involved. Money we would prefer not to spend on this and rather spend on something else, he says. Calculations the county council in Viken has previously made show that it will cost NOK 385 million to divide Viken. Head of department Knut Weberg in InFact says that when the residents of Viken are asked whether the county should be split, the answer is so uniform that it becomes difficult to measure. Buskerud, Østfold and Akershus became Viken. Photo: The Viken project Disagree But there are big geographical differences. – In Østfold, there is a fairly clear majority who believe it was right to split up Viken, says Weberg. 50 percent think it is right to split up, while 35 think it is wrong. The rest have not taken a stand. In Akershus and Buskerud, most people think that it is wrong to divide the counties. Student teacher in Drammen Miriam Sjøveien (21) is one of them. – The money can go to school and support schemes for people who don’t have it so easy. Now it’s heading towards Christmas too, says Sjøveien. STUDENT TEACHER: Miriam Sjøveien (21) studies in Drammen. Photo: Balsharan Pal Kaur / news Although several people answer no to whether their county should be split up, there is still a majority who believe that it should be carried out once it has been decided. In Vestfold and Telemark, 47 percent answer yes and 35 percent no. In Viken, it is almost a dead end. – In the last year, we have seen a great equalization. I think that people are possibly getting a little tired of the wobble, says Knut Weberg in InFact. Should not run from the bill The price for splitting up three counties and a municipality is just under one billion kroner. In the national budget for 2023, the Government has set aside NOK 200 million. State Secretary Olav Gustav Narud (Sp) in the Ministry of Local Government and District Affairs tells news that the government will not run away from the bill. – We implement what we have said. The counties apply to have costs covered. We go through the application and cover the costs that are necessary and sober, says Narud. He is critical of the claim that it will cost around 800 million to dissolve the counties. – People cannot possibly have realized what it will cost when not even the applicants have presented their numbers, he says. STATE SECRETARY: Ole Gustav Narud (Sp). Photo: Trond A. Isaksen He believes that claims about very high costs dominate the debate. – Based on the measurements, I see that it affects public opinion, says Narud. Hi! Welcome to dialogue at news. Since you are logged in to other news services, you do not have to log in again here, but we need your consent to our terms of use for online dialogue
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Majority to keep the merged counties – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
