The government is launching a new pilot program for small municipalities – news Nordland

Fly twice a day or a ferry that takes four hours to the mainland. These are the options for the roughly 500 residents of Røst municipality if they need a new passport, ID card, driving license or similar. In the fishing municipality, it is particularly challenging for the many seasonal workers who come to the island. – It requires resources and it is expensive, says mayor Elisabeth Kristin Mikalsen to news. This is also the case in many other small municipalities in the country. The government is now establishing a new pilot program to find out whether more of these services can be provided locally. These municipalities participate in the pilot program Lebesby Tokke Nore and Uvdal Ulstein Meløy Øygarden Værøy Røst Flakstad Moskenes Gamvik Vanylven – We will test local service centers that offer types of services that are aimed at taxes, driver’s licenses and other things that people need in their local environment, says municipal minister Erling Sande (Q). Erling Sande (Sp) presents the pilot program at a public meeting in Røst. NOK 2 million will be used to develop local service centers in Lofoten. Photo: Bente H. Johansen / news Costs 15 million A total of 12 municipalities are in the pilot programme. Four of these are located in Lofoten. – 2 million has been set aside for this pilot in Lofoten, but this is one of nine pilots in the whole country. And 15 million has been set aside for the entire project, says Sande. – How should this work in practice? – We will return to the details of how we organize this. We are now testing out a period of time to see what kind of services it is natural to offer locally. And how it works, explains Sande. Here, Sande gets an explanation of how business owners in Røst struggle to obtain papers for foreign workers. Photo: Bente H. Johansen / news – Long-awaited investment Mayor Elisabeth Kristin Mikalsen at Røst says this is a long-awaited investment. – It is a day of joy. It is important for our business life, it is important for our citizens. And it is especially important for the older generation who are not so digital. Mayor of Røst, Elisabeth Mikalsen Photo: Hilde Berit Evensen / The feedback is also the same in Vanylven municipality in Sunnmøre in Møre og Romsdal. Around 3,300 inhabitants live there, and it is far from the nearest town. – I think this is the largest subsidy Vanylven municipality has ever received for a single project. It means a lot, and we hope that this will be a contribution to people feeling more connected both to the municipality, but also to the state, says mayor Paul Sindre Vedeld (Sp) – What types of services do you see yourself being able to offer here, then? Paul Sindre Vedeld (Sp) in Vanylven municipality, Photo: Arne Flatin / news – We hope the driving license theory test can be part of it. There could be services around Nav, and closer contact between the municipality and Nav. We also hope that municipal services can be a part of it, where e.g. if you are going to book an appointment with a building case or administration office, or that you get coordination in a shared office. Published 26.06.2024, at 11.26 Updated 26.06.2024, at 11.41



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