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EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS: The Municipality of Asker pocketed almost NOK 25 million in infection control equipment in the first phase of the pandemic. Photo: Janne Møller-Hansen
The municipality of Asker bought equipment for almost NOK 25 million in two months. For Kristiansand, the figure is 7.5 million, although the municipalities are roughly the same size.
– The financial situation of the municipalities has not been so serious since previous financial crises. And there is a danger that it will last until 2021, Lars Bjerke, municipal director in Asker, tells VG.
As VG revealed on Saturday, Norwegian municipalities panicked and exchanged NOK 350 million in infection control equipment at the start of the corona pandemic.
The VG survey also shows that there are large variations in the amount of money municipalities have spent on infection control equipment:
While Asker traded for almost NOK 25 million, Kristiansand only got teams for NOK 7 million in the same period. The two municipalities have approximately the same population size.
The Asker municipal administration is pleased to have obtained equipment at the beginning of the pandemic, but at the same time has a concern:
– We are one of the municipalities in Norway with the best income and financial conditions. When we see that, due to the situation of the crown, we will have a deficit of approximately 100 million crowns, this will also apply to the rest of the municipal industry, says Mayor Lene Conradi.
SECRET ADDRESS: The Asker Township Warehouse is located at an address few know. The equipment is worth many millions of crowns. Photo: Janne Møller-Hansen
Affected early
In February 2020, ski-loving Norwegians will return home after their winter holidays in Austria and Italy.
Soon after, infection rates here at home began to rise.
– It was an incredibly confusing situation, says City Manager Bjerke.
The purchasing department was ready to buy masks, gloves, coats and glasses for home nurses, nursing homes and nursing homes, in a hurry.
In March and April, the municipality spent almost 25 million crowns, according to the survey carried out by VG.
In normal time, the same amount would be between 300,000 and 400,000, estimates the municipal director.
– Our municipality was very affected at the beginning because there is a strong tradition that its inhabitants go abroad during the winter holidays.
– At the same time, residents of Asker, Bærum and Oslo have the same labor market. Our location near the epicenter means the virus spreads faster here.
MUNICIPAL DIRECTOR: Lars Bjerke in Asker. Photo: Janne Møller-Hansen
He used “huge” amounts
In mid-April, the fifth patient died in the same nursing home in Kristiansand as a result of a corona infection.
“A disaster,” said the municipal chief in an interview with VG.
For a week, the virus spread uncontrollably in the nursing home. Since the first patient showed signs of symptoms, it was only a short time before the situation became dramatic for both residents and staff.
– We had several outbreaks at the beginning of the pandemic, when there was a large number of infection control teams, Øyvind Haarr, adviser for home services and rehabilitation in Kristiansand municipality, tells VG.
– We had periods in March and April where we were completely dependent on our supplier being able to give us equipment of the limited quantities they had.
For the most part, the delivery time for the equipment they asked for was five to seven weeks. In retrospect, they are happy that the team lasted:
– We had little, but we had enough, says Haarr.
As smittetall
Kristiansand and Asker have had roughly the same number of infection cases, the VG corona overview shows, with 269 and 264 infected respectively since March.
– It is interesting that two municipalities that are approximately the same size and have the same number of inhabitants, have bought for completely different sums, says the chairman of the board of the Municipal Sector Organization (KS), Bjørn Arild Gram, to VG.
As VG already mentioned, many municipalities say that they were lucky when they had to provide equipment for their inhabitants. The global shortage also pushed prices up.
When the stoppage of production in China ceased and transport to Norway was faster, it also loosened for Kristiansand:
Invoices VG has had access to demonstrate that in the May / June period the municipality bought equipment from its suppliers for just over NOK 25 million.
Some of these orders were probably placed in the March-April period, but the invoices were registered later due to the long delivery time, the municipality informs VG.
Indre Østfold and Stange i Innlandet have also had infections in their municipalities.
The money spent calculations, on the other hand, look completely different, according to the VG survey:
For three other municipalities, which all have around 80,000 inhabitants, the numbers look like this:
On Monday, Health Minister Bent Høie (H) guaranteed that municipalities’ crown-related costs will be covered by the state.
– Municipalities will be compensated for corona costs, the Health Minister told VG.
He also had the following message for Norwegian municipal employees:
– If municipalities have to cut the supply of services, it will be for the same reasons as before, that is, they are not able to manage their finances.
According to the VG survey, Asker Township is ranked 15th in the overall picture of who has spent the most money per capita on infection control equipment in the two-month period.
– I await a clarification on the compensation for the loss of income and the increase in expenses, to be able to continue with the service offer that we have today for our citizens, says Mayor Conradi.
MAYOR: Lene Conradi in Asker Township. Photo: Janne Møller-Hansen
Gram at KS fears it will be difficult to calculate how the state’s compensation will be distributed due to large differences in expenses.
– It would be a small consolation for the municipalities with higher expenses, if the funds are distributed equitably. Then it will go beyond other services in the municipalities. Therefore, KS believes that it is important that compensation be distributed accurately and fairly, he says.
Now a committee has been created to calculate how the compensation will be distributed among the municipalities.
On Monday, Høie promised an early response on how much each municipality should be compensated.
