[ad_1]
The result of Sunday’s referendum is preliminary but clear: more than three out of four voters want Västerås to continue operating the airport.
The city council and city council decided on a shutdown last year, but several parties fought hard. After many long debates, as well as a citizen initiative with signatures, it was clear that the residents of the city would give their opinion.
However, it was only preliminary just over 37 percent of those who chose to do so.
– It is clear that it is a clear result of the voters, says the president of the city council Staffan Jansson (S), who has taken the initiative for the city council that wants to close the airport.
– We have to analyze the result, but it is clear that somehow we must obey the intentions of the voters here.
Three of the four parties in Västerås’ majority government, the Social Democrats, the Liberals and the Green Party, made the decision to close with the support of the Left Party. The Center Party, which is part of the ruling coalition, stood by along with the moderates, the Christian Democrats and the Swedish Democrats.
The parties that were against the closure proclaimed in advance that the voice of the people would be followed. On the other hand, they have rested on their laurels and said that it influences the high turnout and clarity of the result, about which SVT Västmanland asked in advance.
Staffan Jansson said Sunday night that he expected more turnout.
– We had not given an exact figure, but we were hoping to get closer to 50 percent. We had not set a minimum level like that. On the other hand, it is a clear result of those who voted, when it is more than 75 percent who want the airport company to be preserved, he says.
More than 24,000 of the more than 120,000 eligible early voters, according to the VLT.
The question that was asked was “Does the city of Västerås want to stop the operations carried out at the airport company?” and the answer options were yes or no. According to the plan that was voted on last year, the airport must be closed before the last December of next year.
The low-budget company Ryanair is the only company that has scheduled services at the airport, with trips to and from the sunny Spanish coast and London.
In 2019, before the impact of the pandemic, just over 109,000 passengers flew to or from Västerås airport. It can be compared to Skavsta, on the other side of Lake Mälaren, where the corresponding passenger frequency that year was 2.2 million, or Arlanda’s 25 million.
The municipal airport company it has run large financial deficits for many years. In the past 15 years, a total of just over 588 million tax crowns has been added and repairs will be required in the future, according to SVT.
Critics believe that tax money is badly invested and should be spent elsewhere. Advocates for airport operations point to jobs and income around which the city risks losing itself, as well as the availability of ambulance flights.
The referendum is the first to be held in Västerås. The votes will be counted and a final result is expected in a few days.
By April 14 at the latest, the city board plans to give formal information on the future, when a directive will be delivered to the city management office on the matter, according to Staffan Jansson (S).
