Sogn og Fjordane County Municipality explained

Sogn og Fjordane County Municipality
Native Name:Sogn og Fjordane fylkeskommune
Native Name Lang:no
Settlement Type:Former County
Coordinates:61.2308°N 6.7897°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Norway
Seat Type:Administrative center
Seat:Leikanger
Extinct Title:Disestablished
Extinct Date:1 Jan 2020
Leader Title:County mayor
Leader Name:Jenny Følling
Leader Title1:Chairman of Cabinet
Iso Code:NO-14
Blank Name Sec1:Revenue
Blank1 Name Sec1:Employees
Blank Name Sec2:Schools
Blank Info Sec2:12
Blank1 Name Sec2:Pupils
Blank1 Info Sec2:4,500
Blank2 Name Sec2:Transit authority
Blank3 Name Sec2:Roads

Sogn og Fjordane County Municipality (Norwegian: Sogn og Fjordane fylkeskommune) was the regional governing administration of the old Sogn og Fjordane county in Norway. The county municipality was established in its current form on 1 January 1976 when the law was changed to allow elected county councils in Norway. The county municipality was dissolved on 1 January 2020, when Sogn og Fjordane was merged with the neighboring Hordaland county, creating the new Vestland county which is led by the Vestland County Municipality.

The main responsibilities of the county municipality included the running of 12 upper secondary schools with 4,500 pupils.[1] It also administrates the county roadways, public transport, dental care, culture, and cultural heritage.[2]

County Government

The Sogn og Fjordane county council (Norwegian: Fylkestinget) is made up of 31 representatives that were elected every four years. The council essentially acted as a Parliament or legislative body for the county and it met several times each year. The council is divided into standing committees and an executive board (Norwegian: fylkesutvalg) which meet considerably more often. Both the council and executive board are led by the County Mayor (Norwegian: fylkesordfører) who held the executive powers of the county. Jenny Følling of the Centre Party was the last County Mayor.[3]

County council

The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Regional reform 2020

In 2020, Sogn og Fjordane merged with neighbouring Hordaland to form Vestland county municipality. The merger was part of a larger reform in local and regional administration initiated by the national government, which will see the number of county municipalities fall from 19 to 11.[4]

Location

The administrative seat was located at the village of Leikanger in Leikanger municipality where all of the county offices are located except for the cultural division, which is located in the town of Førde. Tore Eriksen is chief-of-administration.[5] Traditionally, the county administration was said to be in the village of Hermansverk, which was regarded as the administrative seat, but Hermansverk and the neighboring village of Leikanger have grown together and form one large village, and now the administrative seat is said to be Leikanger even though the buildings are still in the same place.

Transport

The county previously owned the transportation company Fylkesbaatane i Sogn og Fjordane, which operated ferry services throughout the county. In 2001, Fylkesbaatane merged with the Møre og Romsdal County Municipality-owned Møre og Romsdal Fylkesbåtar to create the new company Fjord1, of which Sogn og Fjordane County Municipality remains a majority shareholder.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Opplæring, Vidaregåande skular . 12 June 2019 . Sogn og Fjordane County Municipality . Norwegian.
  2. Web site: In English . 12 June 2019 . Sogn og Fjordane County Municipality.
  3. Web site: Fylkestinget . 12 June 2019 . Sogn og Fjordane County Municipality . Norwegian.
  4. Web site: In English . 12 June 2019 . Sogn og Fjordane County Municipality.
  5. Web site: Administrativ leiing . 12 June 2019 . Sogn og Fjordane County Municipality . Norwegian.