Viken’s elected representatives have gathered for another meeting. This time it is at the Scandic Hotel in Fornebu in Bærum. Although most of the 87 representatives only do politics alongside their regular jobs, they can have salaries that others can only dream of. How is it possible? Here is an example from reality: The politician receives full salary from his regular job, to go to a hotel with Viken county municipality for two days. The politician gets food, travel and accommodation covered. In addition, the politician receives over NOK 7,000 for the meetings they have while they are here. This is how many politicians manage to combine a full-time job and various positions – and earn between 200,000 and 500,000 extra a year – in addition to their regular salary. But there are part-time politicians who earn more than this too. One of them is Bjørn Tore Ødegården (52) from the Labor Party. He has many positions in Viken, but he is also a permanent employee of Kongsberg municipality. But the time he spends on a position as committee leader during working hours, he must, by agreement, work into evenings and weekends. In total, he earns over NOK 1.5 million a year. He receives over NOK 700,000 from Viken, and NOK 800,000 from Kongsberg. Bjørn Tore Ødegården says he is looking forward to the Viken period being over, and that the old counties of Akershus, Buskerud and Østfold will be resurrected in 2024. Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / news – It is a huge pressure and a huge task to combine work and county politics on the way I do it, says Ødegården to news. He emphasizes that the Labor Party has advocated completely different rates, which are more sober, in the new Buskerud in 2024. – The arrangements in Viken are generous, that is absolutely clear. How do they manage to earn so much as part-time politicians? In Viken, the meetings often last two days. At a hotel. For this, ordinary elected representatives receive NOK 3,600 per meeting day. This should also cover preparations and group meetings. Most part-time politicians have around 25 meetings a year. Those whose salary is deducted from their regular job can receive up to NOK 4,000 to cover lost earnings. In addition, everyone sits on at least one committee. You get NOK 60,000 for that. All also sit in the county council. They also get NOK 60,000 for that. In addition, almost everyone sits together in geographical selection. They get approximately NOK 32,000 for this year. In this way, they can earn between NOK 200,000 and 250,000 a year, in addition to their regular job, to do part-time politics. Some also receive extra support from their party, called party support. These sums vary from a few thousand Swedish kroner to NOK 300,000 per representative. – Way too, way too loud Grete Wold (SV) is a member of the municipal and administration committee at the Storting. She also has a background in county politics. Getting hundreds of thousands of kroner extra for going to meetings during working hours is too generous, she believes. – You must be paid if you take on an extra job, but it must be within the bounds of decency, says Grete Wold (SV). Photo: Javad M.Parsa / NTB Determines own allowances In order to participate in the meetings in Viken, the law states that part-time politicians are entitled to have this covered through a compensation scheme. It’s really so that the politicians don’t lose money. The Storting has also decided that they should be compensated for their efforts. In other words, it is completely legal. But how much they should have paid is up to the Viken politicians themselves. – When we reach a level where society reacts, then you should think carefully. Viken is a good example that there may have been a little in the majority of the team. So says right-wing politician in the Storting, Ove Trellevik. He was the spokesperson for the Local Government Act when it was revised in 2018. – It is not good that we are losing trust in the county politicians, says Trellevik. Right-wing politician, Ove Trellevik, reacts to the fact that part-time politicians can earn hundreds of thousands extra from meetings during working hours. Photo: Olaug Spissøy Kyvik The contrast to other socially beneficial work is enormous. Doing politics is an important social task, but there are many ways to stand up for society. You can, for example, work as a volunteer in the Red Cross or sign up as a co-judge in court cases. It’s rewarding, but you won’t exactly get rich. If you volunteer with the Red Cross, you only get your actual expenses covered. Petrol for example. As a co-judge, you can be called in to judge murderers. You can get NOK 250 a day for that. But you don’t get anything extra if you have a salary from work. Volunteer in the Red CrossOdd Gjestemoen is a volunteer at Geilo. He has saved lives, moved out in all kinds of weather and stood up for his local community since 1978. The grant schemes should be better, he believes. – We move out, where others escape. In extreme weather and under extreme conditions. We also train a lot in our spare time to be good at this. Co-judge Alex John Zimling Holmfjord does it because he believes it is an important social task. But he does not think the payment is good enough. – The payment is so bad that it becomes a natural topic of conversation when you meet in the break room. You shouldn’t go into the red if you eat lunch, says Holmfjord. Refuses to be interviewed The contrasts with the world of politics are great. Lise Hagen Rebbestad from Høyre, for example, earns very good money from her posts in Viken. She gets between NOK 400,000 and NOK 500,000 extra for working with politics part-time, alongside her regular job, this year. When news met her during the county council meeting at the Scandic Hotel in Fornebu in mid-December, she did not want to be interviewed. In an email, Rebbestad writes that if people are surprised by how much you earn as a part-time politician, they probably don’t think about how much they actually have to work outside of working hours. Lise Hagen Rebbestad (H) will not be interviewed about her own salaries, she only responds to e-mail. Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / news In a series of cases, news has told about the politicians’ salaries in Viken. We have uncovered double pay, allowances higher than ministers, payment for attending meetings during working hours and pay parties in the back room with taxpayers’ money. In several of the cases, the politicians have subsequently turned around and lowered their own fees. Which financial arrangements will apply to the politicians after the election in the autumn has not yet been decided. Hello! Do you have tips, input or comments on the matter? If so, please contact us by e-mail. We are also interested in input on other matters that you think we should look into more closely. Cecilie Valentine Brekke, Kaja Staude Mikalsen and Dag Aasdalen JournalistsSend me an e-mail
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Part-time politicians earn hundreds of thousands extra for meetings during working hours – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
