Proposition to the Storting No. 96 S (2016–2017) Proposition to the Storting (Draft Resolution)
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The Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation Proposition to the Storting no. 96 S (2016–2017) Proposition to the Storting (draft resolution) Changes in the local government structure The Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation Proposition to the Storting no. 96 S (2016–2017) Proposition to the Storting (draft resolution) Changes in the local government structure Recommendation by the Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation 5 April 2017, approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on the same day. (Solberg’s Government) 1 Introduction Implementation of a local government reform was one of the first projects on which the gov- erning parties and the cooperating parties agreed. The Sundvollen Declaration states: The Government will implement a local government reform, which will ensure that the necessary decisions are made in the period, cf. the cooperation agreement. A more robust local government structure will ensure more expertise and greater professionalism in each municipality. This will be an advantage, for example, in difficult child welfare cases, for resource-intensive services and for better management and development of the care and education services. The Government will invite the parties in the Storting to discussions on the process. The Government will review the responsibilities of the county authorities, the county governors and the state with the aim of trans- ferring more power and authority to more robust municipalities. In this bill, the Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation presents the work and pro- cesses of the local government reform, and proposes mergers and division of municipalities. The proposals are in line with the agreement on local government reform, which was presented on 22 February 2017 between the governing and the cooperating parties in the Storting. The draft bill on new responsibilities for the municipalities is presented at the same time. The Stor- ting has also requested the Government to submit a proposal for a new structure of the regional level with approximately ten new regions. The proposal is presented at the same time in a sepa- rate bill. 1.1 A clear need for reform Since the last local government reform in the 1960s, the number of municipalities has remained relatively stable. At the same time, the demographic structure has changed in that more people have moved to urban and more densely populated areas. Therefore, we have seen a trend where the small municipalities have become smaller, while the larger municipalities have grown. At the same time, the municipalities’ responsibilities and tasks have increased significantly. Ex- pectations and the requirements for the scope and content of municipal services are much higher today than 50 years ago, both among the population and from the central authorities. The trend we see ahead reinforces the need for stronger municipalities. There will be an in- crease in the number of elderly per working citizen. There will probably be less financial lee- way at national and local level. This will place greater demands on the municipalities’ ability to adjust, be innovative, and to achieve the best possible results from the resources within the sec- tor. Chapter 3 of the bill presents a report on the situation in the current local government structure prior to the mergers in the reform coming into effect. On behalf of the Ministry, the Centre for Economic Research (CER), Telemark Research Institute (TRI), NIVI Analyse AS, the Norwe- gian School of Management BI and Samfunnsøkonomisk analyse have collected data for a set of indicators for each of the four objectives of the reform; good, equal services to the citizens, sustainable and financially sound municipalities, comprehensive and coordinated community development and strengthened local democracy. The indicators may be used to evaluate the ef- fects of the reform. The indicators show that in some cases today there is great disparity be- tween the municipalities both regarding how many resources the municipalities use on each service and the results they achieve. The project also shows that there has been strong growth in inter-municipal cooperation. In addition, a separate Chief Administrative Officer Survey shows there is great variation in whether the municipalities themselves believe they have suffi- cient capacity and expertise to provide good services to their citizens. A comprehensive review of the framework of the reform is presented in Chapter 4. Since the municipalities were invited to participate in the reform in August 2014 there have been good, thorough processes throughout the country. The county governors have facilitated the processes and have submitted professionally founded recommendations that will stand over time. In addition to the desire to have mutually positive decisions to merge, the Storting has empha- sised that in some cases it may be appropriate to implement mergers where not all the munici- palities in the merger have made positive decisions. 1.2 Proposed mergers and divisions The Government has prepared so that the Storting makes all the decisions on mergers and divi- sions at this time in the reform, also in those cases where the authority under the Local Govern- ment Boundaries Act is exercised by the King-in-Council. This will give the Storting a compre- hensive overview and the opportunity to make coherent assessments in the reform. The excep- tion has been the municipalities that adopted a mutual merger decision at an early stage and wanted to merge from 1 January 2017 and 1 January 2018. It has already been decided by Royal Decree to merge these eleven municipalities into five new municipalities: − It has been approved by Royal Decree of 24 April 2015 that Stokke, Andebu and Sandefjord in Vestfold will merge from 1 January 2017. − It has been approved by Royal Decree of 5 February 2016 that Lardal and Larvik in Vestfold will merge from 1 January 2018. − It has been approved by Royal Decree of 18 March 2016 that Tjøme and Nøtterøy in Vestfold will merge from 1 January 2018. − It has been approved by Royal Decree of 18 March 2016 that Hof and Holmestrand in Vestfold will merge from 1 January 2018. − It has been approved by Royal Decree of 17 June 2016 that Rissa in Sør-Trøndelag and Leksvik in Nord-Trøndelag will merge from 1 January 2018. The local processes, the county governors’ recommendations and the Ministry’s assessments have been presented in Chapter 5. 153 municipalities have made positive decisions to merge. Of these, 94 municipalities have mutually positive decisions, i.e., the municipalities themselves have agreed to merge. The Ministry also presents proposals for mergers that are not in line with all the municipalities’ decisions. The Ministry proposes that when reading this bill, the Storting resolves to merge the following 108 municipalities into 42 new municipalities, which will come into effect no later than 1 Janu- ary 2020: − Moss and Rygge − Askim, Hobøl, Spydeberg and Eidsberg − Aurskog-Høland and Rømskog − Oppegård and Ski − Skedsmo, Fet and Sørum − Asker, Hurum and Røyken − Drammen, Nedre Eiker and Svelvik − Nye Holmestrand and Sande − Tønsberg and Re − Bø and Sauherad − Lyngdal and Audnedal − Mandal, Marnardal and Lindesnes − Kristiansand, Søgne and Songdalen − Stavanger, Rennesøy and Finnøy − Forsand and Sandnes − Fjell, Sund and Øygarden − Radøy, Lindås and Meland − Os and Fusa − Ullensvang, Odda and Jondal − Voss and Granvin − Førde, Naustdal, Gaular and Jølster − Selje and Eid − Sogndal, Balestrand and Leikanger − Volda and Hornindal − Fræna and Eide − Molde, Midsund and Nesset − Ålesund, Sandøy, Skodje, Haram and Ørskog − Stordal and Norddal − Trondheim and Klæbu − Hemne, part of Snillfjord (Vennastranda) and Halsa − Hitra and part of Snillfjord (Sundan/Hemnskjela) − Orkdal, Agdenes, Meldal and part of Snillfjord (Krokstadøra) − Bjugn and Ørland − Roan and Åfjord − Verran and Steinkjer − Namdalseid, Namsos and Fosnes − Vikna, Nærøy, Leka and Bindal − Narvik, Ballangen and the north side of Tysfjord − Hamarøy and the south side of Tysfjord − Skånland and Tjeldsund − Tranøy, Lenvik, Berg and Torsken − Kvalsund and Hammerfest If desired by the municipalities, some mergers may be implemented from 1 January 2019. This only applies to mergers based on mutual decisions, and which do not cross the current county boundaries. The Ministry is so far not aware that any of the relevant merger municipalities want this, but the King may decide that these mergers may be implemented at an earlier date. The proposals mean that in total, the reform will result in decisions to merge 118 municipalities into 46 new municipalities. This will give 356 municipalities in Norway as of 1 January 2020. When the laws governing local government came into force in 1837, there were 392 municipal- ities in Norway. Up to 1930, the number of municipalities in Norway increased to 747. The Scheie Committee was appointed in 1946. Follow-up of the committee’s work resulted in a re- duction in the number of municipalities from 744 in 1857 to 454 in 1967. Since 1967, there have been minor changes in the total number of municipalities. In 2013, there were 428 munici- palities. The proposal to reduce the number of municipalities to 356 by 2020 will give the low- est number of municipalities since the laws on government local government were introduced in 1837, cf. figure 1.1. [:figur:fig1-1.jpg] Figur 1.1 No. of municipalities in Norway 1837 - 2020 The following proposed mergers cross today’s county boundaries: − Rømskog in Østfold, Hurum and Røyken in Buskerud and Svelvik in Vestfold are proposed to become part of new municipalities in a new county consisting of Østfold, Akershus and Buskerud. − Hornindal in Sogn & Fjordane is proposed to become part of a new municipality in Møre & Romsdal. − Halsa in Møre & Romsdal and Bindal in Nordland are proposed to become part of new mu- nicipalities in Trøndelag. − Tjeldsund in Nordland is proposed to become part of a new municipality in Troms. The Ministry proposes adjustments in the county boundaries in these cases, so that the new mu- nicipality belongs to one county.