– This means zero upgrading of roads, cuts in route offers and cuts in the number of schools, claims Jo Inge Hesjevik, county council representative for Finnmark Høyre. The budget proposal for Finnmark County Council for 2023 and the financial plan for the next three years have recently been presented. The figures show that Finnmark is facing major economic challenges. In the period 2023–2026, the “new” Finnmark must save 200 million. 70 million on transport and 80 million on schools. 17-year-old Lilli Onseid fears that her town will be depopulated when the politicians swing the ax over new Finnmark. – We talk about it. That we are afraid that the school will be closed. If that happens, Vardø will be depopulated, says Lilli Onseid, student council leader at Vardø upper secondary school. The school in the small fishing village in Eastern Finnmark is one of the schools that is at risk when the Finnmark County Council has now turned on the savings. Vardø municipality had 1897 inhabitants in January 2022. The population is decreasing. Photo: Kristian Sønvisen Bye / news Prayers were heard In 2020, Finnmark was forcibly merged with Troms county. An inflamed issue that created strong reactions both among ordinary people and politicians. Those who were against fought a hard battle to get out of the county, and they were heard. One of the Center Party’s core issues in the election campaign was to allow the forcibly merged counties to be dissolved again. But this could be expensive for Finnmark. Very expensive. The debt for Finnmark as of today is just over three billion, and this is before you factor in the interest costs, which will kick in fully in 2024. – With this economy, not just one school will fail, but three, claims Hesjevik. Høyre’s Jo Inge Hesjevik is deeply concerned about how the new Finnmark will fare after the secession from Troms. Photo: Eskil Wie Furunes / news The county council politician from the Liberal Party, Trine Noodt, is also concerned. – It is the harsh realities that hit us right in the stomach. I have always fought for pupils to go to school where they live. But now the question is whether it will work, says Noodt. Took out large loans Both Noodt and Hesjevik question whether the budget is legal. – Just showing that you have to save, without showing where the cuts will come, I don’t know if that is legal, says Noodt. Trine Noodt (V) has been involved in county politics for a number of years. She believes the ruling party has been too loose with the spending of money. Photo: Andrea Lindquist / news – People refer to making transport more efficient, but in reality that means cuts in route offers and higher ticket prices. The way this is presented is to mislead people, says Hesjevik. Before Troms and Finnmark were merged, Finnmark already had a worse economy than Troms. In Troms, they have also had more fund funds to use than Finnmark has had. Now it is in the cards that the debt that you brought into the marriage must be taken out by the individual county. The debt to Finnmark was further increased when several large loans were taken out by Finnmark, just before the marriage was entered into. Among other things, investment was made in a new library at Hammerfest upper secondary school. In the combined period, a new fast ferry was also ordered to Finnmark, without checking the price tag first. This came to 83.5 million. The boat was ordered by the leader of the Finnmark Labor Party, now also state secretary in the Ministry of Fisheries, Kristina Hansen. Kristina Hansen believes that Hesjevik and Noodt exaggerate when they describe the reality of new Finnmark. – That they paint the situation black is not so strange. They do not want the county dissolution to succeed, says Hansen. – Vedum must be on the field – It is a serious and worrying situation, I make no secret of that. But I have great faith that the administration will be able to deliver on what we order, says Ronald Wærnes from the Center Party. County Councilor for Economy in Troms and Finnmark County Council, Ronald Wærnes, from the Center Party, admits that the situation is serious. Photo: Jan Harald Tomassen / news He is the county councilor for the economy in Troms and Finnmark county council and points out that the administration in Finnmark county municipality has to look for solutions for restructuring. – For this to work, you have to be willing to think anew, he says. Hesjevik is not reassured and believes the government must act as soon as possible. – Vedum promised that the divorce would go smoothly for him, so here he just has to come up with the money required to make this happen, says the Conservative politician. Waiting for an answer about income State Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government Ole Gustav Narud from the Center Party is anxiously awaiting the new income system, which will be presented in a few days. This will provide an answer to how the real economy will be in the various counties, he believes. Ole Gustav Narud, State Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation. Photo: Kambiz Zakaria / news Having said that, the economic situation will be demanding in the next two years, says Narud. He is referring to low unemployment, high interest rates and increased costs. – Can one still expect that after the divorce, Finnmark will not have to fry in its own fat? – No one in Norway today should have to fry in their own fat. It is an important goal for this government to safeguard development in Northern Norway. We are also doing this through a number of measures that have been proposed in the state budget that has recently been presented, says the state secretary. – Do you think the opposition politicians from the Conservative Party and Liberal Party in Finnmark are painting the situation black? – No. I think it is great that politicians from different parties want to strengthen development in Finnmark. They should get support from their parties in the Storting, says Narud. At Vardø upper secondary school, 17-year-old Lilli Onseid sits and hopes for the best. – I don’t think they should touch the schools at all. The fact that they have spent money on completely different things should not affect us, says Onseid.
ttn-69
The economy in new Finnmark is serious and many fear school cuts – news Troms and Finnmark
