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The chairwoman of the Storting’s local government and administration committee, Karin Andersen (SV), asks the Minister of Local Government and Modernization, Nikolai Astrup (H), to quickly put money on the table for municipalities so that they do not have to lay off to people who need to care for the sick and elderly. and vulnerable children.
– Now the Minister of Local Government Astrup must get rid of the ideological blinders and start to deal with the difficult reality. Municipalities already have sky-high spending for infection control, testing, and work that otherwise should be done in society, Andersen tells Dagbladet, adding:
– More than ever, they need more people to do the job, but now they are forced to have less at work because they have to cut budgets.
In the throat
Astrup goes down Andersen’s throat.
– Andersen creates a completely wrong impression of the government’s measures for the municipal sector. From the first day, we have been clear that we defend the municipalities, and we will ensure a good service offer to the inhabitants both during and after the covid-19 situation, he says and continues:
– So far, the municipal sector has received compensation of NOK 19.2 billion. In addition, they have been given more leeway of NOK 9 billion as a result of lower wage and price growth. In total, this amounts to NOK 28 billion.
Andersen also fears that municipalities will have to cut maintenance and new construction, and that this will lead to more unemployment in municipalities and in the construction industry.
– The crown has meant that many with other great aid needs have been put on hold. She can’t continue, she tells Dagbladet.
Workgroup
Astrup completely disagrees.
– There are no municipalities that need to cut social assistance services due to crown costs. I have close contact with municipalities, and I do not have the impression that municipalities have cut social services due to spending on covid-19, although there may be municipalities that cut for other reasons. This will be nonsense rhetoric from Andersen, says Astrup.
The Minister, together with the interest of the municipal sector and the employers’ organization (KS), has created a working group to map the cost outlook for the municipal sector. This will form the basis for any new measures beyond the fall and into 2021.
Oslo Bill
Health Councilor Robert Steen (Labor Party) estimates that the health and care sector in the municipality of Oslo has had crown costs of NOK 100 million a month. When the municipality now increases testing capacity, the bill could end at two billion crowns in 2020.
Astrup informs Dagbladet that the state will compensate municipalities for all expenses necessary for testing and tracking infections. Even the Oslo bill.
– We will cover all costs necessary for testing and monitoring of infections. In addition, we must enter into a dialogue with the city of Oslo about the estimates they present, Astrup tells Dagbladet, who is pleased that the municipality is improving its capacity.
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