– We have come to the conclusion that it is right to cover this fully. The municipalities are in a demanding situation. Now they get a little more freedom of action to take care of the tasks they have in relation to children and the elderly. The prime minister has taken the municipal minister and the Oslo city council leader to Ila school. Here they meet the students at the after-school program in Oslo. The offer here depends on the municipality having good finances. And Jonas Gahr Støre has good news with him. In the fight against the corona in 2022, the municipalities had to dig deep into their wallets and were left with large costs. The government promised that they would cover this. Now Støre believes that they are fulfilling this promise. The government allows NOK 7.3 billion. – There has been an agreement that when the municipalities have used this money, it will be covered. And now we do it this way. NOK 6.9 billion goes to the municipalities, while the county gets 0.4 million. For the municipalities, NOK 4.9 billion is distributed with an equal sum per inhabitant. 2 billion will be distributed as discretionary funds. Mass vaccination of the inhabitants was an important measure in the fight against the corona. But the measures cost money. Photo: Ola Helness / news Demanding times In the summer and autumn of 2021, Norway was in the process of being fully reopened. Many were easy. People could meet each other again. They could live normal lives. And it was possible to breathe freely. But gradually it went in the wrong direction. Just before the New Year, the virus struck again with full force. The number of infections exploded. Preparedness was top notch. In Kommune-Norway, everyone was at the pumps. And it cost money. Lots of money. The head of KS, Gunn Marit Helgesen, believes they have received approval for the demand for full coverage of the costs. Photo: Tom Balgaard / news Many have been wondering what the government would come up with. The head of KS, Gunn Marit Helgesen (H), is very pleased. – This is very good news. It is a promise they have made and we expect them to keep their promises. But this looks really good. An overview of the corona costs in 10 municipalities 2022 news has carried out some random tests to check how big the costs the municipalities in the country have had due to the corona in 2022. These are 10 examples that show how much the municipalities are left with: Sunnfjord: NOK 26 million. Stavanger: NOK 258 million. Sandefjord: NOK 70 million. Ålesund: NOK 42.6 million. Lillehammer: approx. NOK 25 million. Elves: NOK 40.6 million. Tromsø: NOK 105 million. Fredrikstad: approx. 90 million. Drammen: 111.4 million The knife at the throat 2022 has been a tough year, also for the municipalities. Prices have skyrocketed, interest rates have risen sharply and the government has tightened spending. This means that the municipalities must use the savings knife when creating their budgets. In Ålesund, they have a knife at their throats. They may risk ending up on the Robek list and thus lose control over their own finances. The corona has cost them NOK 42.6 million in 2022. If this is not covered, Ålesund will be in an impossible situation. – We have nothing to go on, says mayor Eva Vinje Aurdal (Ap). Aurdal believes the government has brought good news. But the big question is what Ålesund is left with when the money has been distributed to each individual municipality. She doesn’t know that now. But it can be completely decisive. – We have expected that these costs will be covered and have included it in the budget which we will deal with later this autumn. If this money does not come, we are in even more trouble. The mayor of Ålesund, Eva Vinje Aurdal (Ap), praises the permission from the government, but does not yet know if the municipality will get everything covered. Photo: Øyvind Sandnes / news – Very pleased Tromsø municipality had corona costs of NOK 105 million in 2022 and was one of the cities in the country with major corona outbreaks. Mayor Gunnar Wilhelmsen (Ap) is very satisfied with the signals he has received from his own government. – We have gone a bit and were worried that we might get less, but when the government delivers at this level it is music to our ears in Tromsø, he says. Mayor Gunnar Wilhelmsen in Tromsø is satisfied. Photo: Jørn Inge Johansen / news Joy also in Oslo Around the table together with the students at Ila school in Oslo, we meet a smiling city council leader Raymond Johansen (Ap). Oslo was hit hard by the corona and the costs were enormous. He has expectations that they will now get the money back. – I’m easy. I am happy. This money comes in very handy in a demanding time. This means a lot for Oslo municipality. Local government minister Sigbjørn Gjelsvik (Sp) and city council leader Raymond Johansen (Ap) agree that the release of NOK 7.3 billion is important for the municipalities. Photo: Tom Balgaard / news
ttn-69
The municipalities receive compensation for the costs during the corona – news Møre og Romsdal – Local news, TV and radio
