Visible results of the measures

While nursery fee increases are generally taking place among the country's largest municipalities, according to the ASÍ price survey, the Borough of Hafnarfjörður is one of five municipalities that has remained virtually unchanged year-on-year. The municipality was in sixth place in 2014, in ASÍ's overview of the lowest nursery fees, but now holds the fourth position. Improvements in operations and a rethinking of processes and organisation are directly benefiting, among others, families with children in Hafnarfjörður.

The ASÍ Price Monitoring Service investigated changes to nursery fees and food charges in the fifteen largest municipalities in the country between 1 February 2015 and 1 January 2016. The findings were presented recently. There is a considerable price difference between the highest and lowest municipal fee schedules for an eight-hour stay including meals – see the chart below. The largest rate increase was 5.31%, while on average the increase corresponds to 3-5%. The increase was much smaller in Hafnarfjörður municipality and five other municipalities, at around 11%.  In Hafnarfjörður, the fee is kr. 32,937 for 2016, compared to a nursery school fee of kr. 32,583 last year. The increase of kr. 354 per month is explained by the rising cost of food.

„I welcome that we are now beginning to see tangible results from the extensive reform work we undertook last year. Rather than increasing charges on residents, we decided to focus on reducing the council's operating costs. The fee for nursery attendance remains unchanged for the second year running; the results are now visible and residents are beginning to enjoy the benefits. These results confirm that.“ says Haraldur L. Haraldsson, Mayor of Hafnarfjörður, on the findings.