A new working group on the local government programme has begun its work.
A new working group on the government's strategic plan for local government held its first meeting at the Ministry of the Interior yesterday. The group is tasked with submitting a proposal to the Minister of Transport and Local Government on the government's policy towards local authorities for a fifteen-year period, 2024 to 2038, and a five-year action plan for 2024 to 2028, at the beginning of next year. The policy is based on a provision of the Municipalities Act, which requires the minister to present a revised policy on the affairs of municipalities every three years. The policy will succeed the government's first policy and action plan on the affairs of the country's municipalities next year.
A new working group on the government's strategic plan for local government held its first meeting at the Ministry of the Interior yesterday. The group is tasked with submitting a proposal to the Minister of Transport and Local Government on the government's policy towards local authorities for a fifteen-year period, 2024 to 2038, and a five-year action plan for 2024 to 2028, at the beginning of next year. The policy is based on a provision of the Municipalities Act, which requires the minister to present a revised policy on the affairs of municipalities every three years. The policy will succeed the government's first policy and action plan on the affairs of the country's municipalities next year.
Notice on the website of the Cabinet Office
Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir, the Mayor of Hafnarfjörður, is one of the two representatives of the Minister of Transport in the group.
Stefán Vagn Stefánsson chairs the working group on behalf of the Minister of the Interior. The Minister's other representative on the group is Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir, Mayor of Hafnarfjörður. The two representatives from the Association of Icelandic Local Authorities are Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir, chair of the association and a city councillor, and Jón Björn Hákonarson, vice-chair of the association and mayor of Fjarðabyggð. The group's observers are Aðalsteinn Þorsteinsson, Director of Municipalities and Rural Affairs at the Ministry, and Karl Björnsson, Executive Director of the Association.
Extensive consultation, challenges and opportunities for the future
The government's first policy and action plan on local government affairs included m.a. includes increased support from the Equalisation Fund for municipal mergers, an initiative for the digital transformation of municipalities, improvements to the working conditions of elected representatives, and work on financial benchmarks and the review of municipal revenue sources. The review of the strategy includes extensive consultation with the country's municipalities, residents and other stakeholders on the state of local government, its challenges and future opportunities. At the working group's first meeting, the Minister for Local Government emphasised the importance of the strategy, said he looked forward to receiving the group's proposals, and wished them well in their forthcoming work.
The working group is expected to submit its recommendations to the minister in March next year.