news told on Thursday about the fixed price agreement in Lærdal, which filters out bad payers. The explanation is that the power supplier first carries out a credit check on the customers. Those who do not pass the test are “filtered away”. In an extraordinary municipal council meeting, the people elected in the municipality have now decided that the administration “must find a solution that does not exclude anyone from the offer of a fixed price”. The new turnaround comes after pressure from both outside and inside. Among those who have criticized the scheme are the Consumer Council, lawyers, poverty organizations and several parliamentary representatives. Mayor Audun Mo (Ap) acknowledges that the attention surrounding the fixed price agreements has been an embarrassment for the municipality. – Yes, we could well be this media coverage before, he says to news. He adds: – But that’s how it is. And that may have contributed to the fact that this decision came as quickly as it did. – The stated intention behind the fixed price agreement was that everyone should participate. Has this matter been extra boring for you as a social democrat? – It has been boring for everyone. But now we land well. Mayor Audun Mo (Ap) acknowledges that the attention surrounding the fixed price agreements has been an embarrassment for the municipality. Photo: Jan Christian Jerving / news The neighboring municipality: – With us, everyone gets The details of the new agreement are not clear. One alternative is for the municipality to act as surety or guarantor for the students who do not pass the credit check on their own. A salient point in the debate is whether the municipality could and should set this as a condition already in the first contract with Kraftriket, which manages the electricity agreement “Fastpris Lærdal”. news has asked questions about this to the energy company, but has not received an answer. In the neighboring municipality of Luster, which also has a large amount of licensing power at its disposal, the fixed price agreement is administered by Luster energiverk, of which the municipality is a part owner. – With us, everyone gets it, regardless of a bad payment history. We introduced the scheme precisely to help those with weak finances, says Luster mayor Ivar Kvalen (Sp). According to Sogn Avis, there is also no credit check of the customers in the power municipalities Aurland and Årdal, who have corresponding fixed price agreements. The fixed-price agreement in Lærdal also received attention this winter when the municipal council was informed that fixed-price customers used twice as much electricity as those outside the scheme. – We can take self-criticism The municipal council representative for Lærdal SV, Sæmund Stokstad, tells news that the fixed price agreement “first and foremost has been a great thing” for people in the municipality, especially those who sit at the bottom of the table. Furthermore, he says that they are now cleaning up a situation they did not foresee when the fixed price agreement was created. – The most important thing we can do now is to sort it out. – This concerns a municipally adopted welfare benefit which has not included everyone. Has SV neglected itself here? – We are happy to take on extra responsibility for those who need it most, so we can take self-criticism about it. But now we are taking the lead in the work to clean up, and it is a role we are happy to take on. In an extraordinary municipal council meeting in Lærdal, the elected representatives decided that the administration “must find a solution that does not exclude any of the residents of Lærdal from the offer of a fixed price”. Photo: Lærdal energy
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Now even those with financial problems will get cheap electricity – news Vestland
