Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre goes to Kristiansand to meet the leadership of Kristiansand and the Agder Labor Party on Monday. The government’s decision on a referendum in Søgne and Songdalen has set minds on fire in Kristiansand Ap. They fear for the fate of the merged municipality and believe the government’s handling is failing. Støre has said that it is not relevant to reverse the decision to allow a referendum. Leader Helge Stapnes in Kristiansand Labor Party says he has wanted to see the Prime Minister in Kristiansand as soon as he had the opportunity, and is very happy that it will happen now. Believes Sp has pressured Labor In 2020, Kristiansand, Søgne and Songdalen were merged into one large municipality with 110,000 inhabitants. The opposition has been particularly strong in Søgne. It provoked strong reactions when the government promised Søgne and Songdalen a referendum on municipal dissolution in 2023. Mayor of Kristiansand Jan Oddvar Skisland (Labor Party) has been critical of reversing the merger. He believes the Labor Party has been pressured by Sp. Støre: – Open question Støre said earlier on Thursday that the Minister of Local Government is responsible for this case. – Will the Labor Party be able to turn in this case and listen to the party colleagues in Kristiansand? – The case has been decided by the government and now the Minister of Local Government is following up the case, Støre said. – Do you understand the reactions? – Yes, I understand that there is commitment around this. We have worked well to develop municipal services, and then we will see what the result will be. This is a matter that must be decided based on the attitudes of these two municipalities, and it is an open question, Støre answered.
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