Anyway, Sunday April 16.

Residents of small towns are more satisfied with nurseries, schools, retirement homes and home services than residents of large towns. However, in its main article on April 8, Aftenposten advocates the forced closure of Norwegian municipalities in order to expand them.

Big systems can make people small. No one dreams of sending their children to the largest kindergarten in the world or living in the largest nursing home in the world. On the contrary. It is the inhabitants of the smallest municipalities who are the most satisfied with the services that many of us consider to be the most important in daily life. In addition, figures from the local election survey show that residents of smaller municipalities are more satisfied with the opportunities to influence society and that voter turnout is also higher in smaller municipalities.

Aftenposten contests the recommendations aimed at General municipal committee and the committee systematically ignores its recommendations for closer and closer intermunicipal cooperation, less management of government details, that municipalities must have sufficient finances, more innovation and more facilitation from the State. This is an important area.

The government strives every day to develop Norwegian municipalities for the benefit of citizens across the country, including through free municipal trials and increased cooperation between district municipalities through development agreements rural. Smaller units and proximity are a success for important daily services and local democracy. Therefore, Aftenposten’s exhortation and Høgre’s plan to close municipalities under state control are irrelevant to the government. We work for a closer local democracy, with services close to citizens throughout Norway.

Sigbjørn Gjelsvik, Minister of Municipalities and Districts (Sp)