Eleven counties are to be split up to 15 counties, and in December an expert committee presented its recommendations on how large transfers the new units should receive. The proposal was immediately blamed for moving money from west to east, and caused an uproar along the coast and in northern Norway. And corresponding cheers among those who came out well. Six months and 41 hearings later, the picture is different. When Local Government and District Minister Sigbjørn Gjelsvik (Sp) presented a new and adjusted income system this week, it contained new winners. And new losers. What do the county councils do? The county municipalities are responsible for important services for people and local communities, such as further education, dental health, public transport and county roads. The services are financed with the free income of the county municipalities, which are distributed through the income system. “The proposal to the ministry differs from the selection on several important points, among other things on the basis of input in the public consultation”, the ministry writes on its website. The biggest winner is Vestland. In the December proposal, the county was set to lose NOK 81 million. In the new revised proposal, they go up by NOK 46 million. – Our suggestions have been heard, and it is good for the Labor Party summit in Vestland. Stian Davies tells news that they have “pressed on” to influence the government to adjust the course, and that this has been among their most important issues in recent months. – After a lot of work, we have come out much better than the unacceptable proposal from the expert committee, he says. He refers to repeated meetings with the prime minister’s office and parliamentary representatives. – After a lot of work, we have come out much better than the unacceptable proposal from the expert committee, says Stian Davies (Ap). Photo: Kari Bernardini Jon Askeland (Sp) is county mayor in Vestland. – Our input has been heard, and that is good. Municipal Minister Gjelsvik deserves respect. He adds: – I am particularly pleased that the ministry emphasized that the revenue system captures the higher costs that the county has with ferries and snow boats. This was the most important thing for us. The aim of the new system is to adapt the income distribution to the county division from 2024, when Norway “bounces back” to 15 counties. Photo: regjeringen.no – We have worked very hard politically to turn it around Daily leader of Initiativ Vest, Mathias Fischer, writes in a newsletter that the government has “landed on the most western-friendly model”. The explanation is, among other things, that the new “collective key” places less emphasis on “congestion factor” and more emphasis on travel distance. An adjustment which, on the whole, benefits the coastal county. Jubilation in the north – I take this as a great victory! The government has listened to the recording the county council delivered in February, and they have listened to the many conversations I have had with them, says county council leader Kristina Torbergsen (Ap). In the government’s proposal for a new revenue system for the county councils in the municipal bill, the decrease for Troms has been reversed from a proposed decrease of around NOK 116 million to an increase of NOK 18 million. For Finnmark, there is a change from a proposed increase of around NOK 90 million to an increase in the government’s proposal of NOK 104 million. – We are particularly pleased to have received approval for backlog funds for county road maintenance to continue to be distributed according to separate criteria that reflect the real backlog to a far greater extent than the general road criterion that the expert committee recommended. It is nevertheless important to follow this up, as the proposal signals a review of the backlog funds in the next National Transport Plan, which is expected to be presented before Easter 2024, says county councilor for economy and culture, Ronald Wærnes (Sp). Møre and Romsdal county council turns NOK 187.5 million into a minus – to NOK 17 million plus. – We have worked extremely hard politically to turn this around. For several weeks in a row, we have traveled to Oslo to explain how big the consequences of the proposal would be for the coast, and especially the boat county. We are now relieved that we have been understood and heard, says Line Hatmosø Hoem (Ap), who is county mayor in Møre and Romsdal. The consultation deadline for the new income system expired in March. Other counties that have been listened to are Innlandet, Buskerud and Finnmark, all of which are increasing their share of the money pot. At the other end we find Rogaland and Oslo, which come out worse. – This means cuts in transfers to Oslo, especially in the coming years, says finance councilor Einar Wilhelmsen (MDG). He adds: – Oslo is a city with great differences and great challenges. It will be demanding to manage the cut to the government of NOK 130 million in the transfer without reducing the offer for the people of Oslo. The reduction applies to county municipal funds which, among other things, will go to public transport, secondary school and dental health. Innlandet: – This substantiates that we have been underfunded Even Aleksander Hagen (Ap), county mayor in Innlandet – Innlandet is the county that comes out best with a new revenue system, and it substantiates our claims that we have been underfunded until now. We are Norway’s most sparsely populated county with fewer and fewer young people, and if the goal is to maintain housing, we should be given the finances to provide a minimum of services in school, culture, dental health and public transport. We are also the county with the most kilometers of county roads, and the weight has been startlingly low. The expert committee made many good points, and although the government has made some adjustments, I think it is wise for the government to follow up on many of these proposals. I recognize the main points from the expert committee, and am particularly happy that the new income system strengthens the work to ensure that people throughout the country live. Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum and Sigbjørn Gjelsvik during the presentation of the government’s proposal for changes to the state budget to the Storting. Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum / NTB Receives NOK 1.1 billion against price increases The new income system will take effect next year. In addition, the government announced this week that the county municipalities will receive 1.1 billion to compensate for the price increase in 2023. Proposals for a new revenue system for the municipalities, on the other hand, have been postponed. The government’s Revenue System Committee proposed last year that power municipalities should share 10 per cent of their income with other municipalities. The proposal was “put to rest” by Heidi Greni, municipal political spokesperson for the Center Party, the very next day.
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These are the winners and losers in the battle for county money – news Vestland
