During the Solberg government, it was decided in the Storting to reduce the number of municipalities in the country. Two of the municipalities that were voluntarily merged were Vågsøy and Flora in Vestland, known for the towns and municipal centers Måløy and Florø. Since then, it has been discussed whether the new municipality of Kinn, which is divided in two by the municipality of Bremanger, has the right to life. It takes over an hour by speedboat and over two hours by car between Florø and Måløy, which are the two municipal centers in Kinn. – It is important that people have their say On Tuesday, the referendum started where the people in the municipality will have their say on whether they want to keep the voluntarily amalgamated municipality or not. Election day is 1 September, but residents can vote in advance already now. – It is important that people now have their say about the municipality, says Jacob Nødseth, municipal council representative for Venstre i Kinn. He is one of those who have lined up at the polling station in Florø to cast their vote. – I hope we get a clear yes to Kinn municipality, says Nødseth. – Something that has stuck with this municipality Dag Frøyen is a journalist in the local newspaper Firdaposten who has been close to the discussions about the municipality. He points out that prior to the merger there was a referendum in Vågsøy which was negative to a merger. – And there is something that has stuck with this municipality ever since. At the polling station in Måløy, Geir Oldeide was one of the 115 who turned up to cast their vote in the northern part of the municipality. Geir Oldeide from Raudt i Kinn was one of those who cast his vote on the first day of the referendum. Photo: Asgeir Heimdal Reksnes/news – We on the side that wants division have been very clear: A clear answer from the people must decide the dispute, says Geir Oldeide, municipal council representative for Raudt i Kinn. 15 million from the government On the same day that the municipality in Vestland opened the polling station, the Ministry of Local Government and District Affairs made a statement. They say that the government will participate and take part of the bill if Kinn is divided. 15 million is being talked about as a lump sum. But how much these 15 million will mean is difficult to say. In the audit company BDO’s report on the consequences of a division, they write that costs are difficult to assess Municipal and District Minister Sigbjørn Gjelsvik from the Center Party points out that the millions do not mean that the government has taken a position on the matter. – What we do cannot be interpreted as income for either one or the other view, says Gjelsvik. Before the election in 2021, the Center Party voted that merged municipalities could be dissolved if they wanted to. A total of 115 turned up in old Vågsøy to vote on the first day of the referendum. In old Flora there were 108 who stopped by to vote. But it is not a simple choice, says Silje Sunde, who is standing at the polling station in Florø. – I feel it is my duty as a resident to vote, she says.
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