During the city council meeting in Kristiansand on Wednesday evening, there was to be a vote again for the reversal of the large municipality in Southern Norway. The meeting ended with a no to division for the second time and no to a referendum. The decision on a referendum was voted down by 57 to 14 votes. The decision not to initiate a process for possible division of the municipality was voted down 44 to 27. The majority of the city council asks the government to recognize the decision and close the whole matter. The government has said it wants a public consultation on sharing. Preferably through a referendum. Local Government Minister Sigbjørn Gjelsvik (Sp) tells news that he still wants the residents of Søgne and Songdalen to be heard. Expected a no Local politicians’ reactions to the decision are divided. Reidar Heivoll (Sp) says the outcome was expected, but is obviously disappointed. – I think that in order to calm the matter down, a referendum must be held, he says. Group leader for the Conservative Party in Kristiansand Renate Hægeland disagrees. She believes that this case is more about strong feelings than voting yes or no to municipal mergers. – I don’t think we would have calmed down anyway. I think it was wise for the city council to confirm the decision they have made. The municipal board in Kristiansand voted against municipal amalgamation and referendum on Wednesday evening. Photo: Svein Sundsdal / news – A case of national dimensions With a no to the referendum, the government can still choose to look past the local politicians’ decisions. Ahead of the meeting on Wednesday evening, however, the city council called for the government to end the process around division and respect the outcome. – This has become a political matter of national dimensions, says political commentator on news Lars Nehru Sand. Last summer, the government promised that Søgne and Songdalen would have a referendum on dissolution. Prior to this, the city council in Kristiansand had said that they did not want to proceed with the process. Then the government came into play, and the state could intervene independently of the local politicians in Kristiansand. Sand says there are several opportunities to get a division through, even if the city council has voted no. – The government or the state administrator can, for example, conduct a traditional opinion poll or have an election that does not involve Kristiansand municipality contributing to it. Political commentator on news Lars Nehru Sand says many expect Kristiansand city council to say no to the referendum on Wednesday evening. Photo: Vidar Ruud / NTB Must listen to the people The Local Government Ministry led by Sigbjørn Gjelsvik (Sp) has already promised a referendum to the residents of the old Søgne municipality. – I thought it would be a shame if the city council did it again. Because what has been the government’s point is to listen to those who live in the old Søgne municipality, and make that the basis for a possible division, the finance minister told news earlier today. This is what Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (Sp) says to news. Many expected the city council to vote for another no on Wednesday – Listening to people should never be something you should be afraid of in a people’s government. Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (Sp) thinks it is a shame if the city council in Kristiansand votes no to a referendum on municipal division. Photo: Aleksandr Nedbaev / news Can conduct poll It was during the Solberg government that it was decided that the three municipalities of Kristiansand, Søgne and Songdalen should be merged into one large municipality. They were merged in January 2020. But the resistance has been great. Especially in Søgne, which ended up being forcibly merged with Kristiansand. Since then, the merger has been a divisive issue among the local population. Outside the city council hall in Kristiansand on Wednesday evening, demonstrators from Søgne had turned up who wanted a referendum on partition. On Tuesday, news was on the streets to hear what people thought about the city council’s election on Wednesday. Søgne resident Hanne Larsen Falkytten wanted a referendum. – I think I would let the people in Kristiansand, Søgne and Songdalen decide for themselves and not let the politicians decide. People from Søgne gathered with banners in front of the town hall in Kristiansand before the town council meeting on Wednesday. Photo: Svein Sundsdal / news An expensive divorce In January, the state administrator in Agder published a report that tells what a municipal divorce in Kristiansand will cost, and what consequences may follow. – A possible division could entail significant costs, both financial and human, State Administrator Gina Lund told news in January. The state administrator’s conclusions • Based on the framework conditions, the two relevant dates for implementing a possible division are either 1 January 2026, or 1 January 2028. The state administrator’s assessment is that the division should possibly take effect on 1 January 2026. • A first, very rough and uncertain estimate based on the application for cost recovery from Ålesund municipality, is that the directly quantified costs for dividing Kristiansand into two or three new municipalities may be in the region of NOK 250 – 400 million. • A decision on division will result in the municipality’s organization becoming introverted during the division period, and to a lesser extent able to be an active promoter as a regional development actor. This could have long-term consequences for the entire region. The time window for important decisions in the green shift is now. • A new Søgne and a new Songdalen municipality will have the financial prerequisites to be separate municipalities. The new municipalities’ most important challenges will be related to delivering services and having expertise over a wide range of growing needs, and to coping with unforeseen events, more than the municipal economy itself. • The new municipalities that are created after six years of merging will face a different reality with different conditions than they had at the time of the merger. The challenge we face as a society challenges the municipal sector and creates an urgent need to change the way we develop society and produce services. • It will not be possible to re-establish a separate emergency room for Søgne and Songdalen according to the old model. Home care and nursing homes will face major capacity challenges in the future, and the way in which these services are delivered will have to change significantly. Access to qualified personnel will be a main challenge. • A division of the municipality will result in a clear increase in water and sewage charges in Søgne Songdalen. A rough estimate of what a division will cost has been made. The state administrator assumes a sum between NOK 250 and 400 million. It also states that there is a risk that the municipality’s critical service deliveries will be affected during a possible division. The state administrator also points out that three years of uncertainty about what will happen to which services, who will work with what and where, will be demanding for those who work in the organisation.
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Municipal dispute in Kristiansand – people are not allowed to have their say – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
