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Weggesrud, together with Rana Mayor Geir Waage (Labor Party), drafted the appeal to the government after the budget proposal.
“The government’s budget proposal means serious cuts in the welfare of ordinary people in the country’s municipalities. This worries us a lot as mayors. In the midst of a serious pandemic, the right-wing parties once again play down the importance of municipalities: it is about vulnerable children in kindergarten and school, and about our elderly in need of care. We are outraged and wonder if the government understands how serious this is for citizens, “they write.
Budget cuts
A total of 139 mayors and municipal leaders of the Labor Party signed the demand to the government for a more generous municipal budget.
– Now there is a great concern in Kommune-Norge related to the economy. This year’s plan for municipalities is the strictest in 15 years, since Erna Solberg herself was Minister of Local Government. Now the government is putting forward a proposal that in practice is a real decline due to rising prices and wages, says Weggesrud, who is mayor of Holmestrand in Vestfold and Telemark.
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Municipalities across Norway are now preparing “crown budgets” for next year, but they do not yet know how big the framework they will receive will be. The government has promised an extra budget package that will help municipalities, but it will not be presented until the end of November.
– We feel that we are doing shadow boxing in which we are required to have responsible budgets that are in balance, but we do not know how much money we have to spend. We are sitting down now and making big cuts to our budgets for next year, says Weggesrud.
Honor violence: the law will change
Uncertainty
– The economy in Holmestrand was already demanding before the crown. Are you using the crown as an excuse to get more money for a tight economy?
– No, definitely not. The crown is also not the main point here, but how tight state budgets have become. We constantly have to solve new tasks and our room for maneuver has turned negative over the years, says Weggesrud.
Rana Mayor Geir Waage says they have no choice but to provide less and worse services, unless more money comes through.
– Corona has given us both higher expenses and less income, but we don’t yet know how this will be offset. We just don’t know what we’ll have to deal with next year, and the uncertainty is greater than it has been for many years. If the state does not contribute more money than is in the budget, we must cut both the scope and quality of municipal services, Waage says.
Astrup: – Expression of frustration.
Local Government Minister Nikolai Astrup (H) picked up the phone immediately when Dagbladet called him for comment and invited Weggesrud and Waage to a meeting.
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– I interpret this appeal as an expression of frustration at the uncertainty that we all feel, but there is no basis to blackmail the situation in the municipalities. I understand they want more money, but there is no basis for rebellion in this sector, says Astrup.
Even before the meeting, the Conservatives can claim that they do not share the perception of reality and the figures with which the mayors of the Labor Party operate.
– The figures they give and what they say about the municipal economy do not agree with the government’s budget proposal, he says.
Add after salary rage
– No reason for clipping
Astrup points out that in the government plan, the municipalities’ room for maneuver will increase by 700 million, which is among the largest increases in the last ten years.
The government has also compensated municipalities 20 billion so far for lost revenue and increased spending. If the reduction of prices and wages is added, there will be an additional 30 billion for the municipalities, says the Minister of Local Government.
– To say that the municipalities have been starving with this government, falls into their own irrationality, says Astrup.
Astrup’s prayer to mayors is that they run as usual in next year’s budgets:
– There should be no reason to cut back on the service offer as a result of crown-related expenses. Therefore, I urge the municipalities not to do so.
