The City Council and City Government
The City Council
The City of Oslo being both a Municipality and a County Authority, the City Council are responsible for a wider range of matters than other Norwegian municipal authorities.
In addition to elementary school and pre-school education, municipal cultural institutions and events, local health care services, care taking of the elderly, local social services, child care, some housing and urban renewal, local roads, local transport of people and goods, parks and green areas, environmental considerations, land use and urban planning, the Oslo City Council is also responsible for secondary education and technical colleges, secondary road systems, and cultural institutions and activities that are not decided on at the national level.
The municipal responsibility might include planning, arranging, financing and/or running of initiatives or institutions within these different subjects. For some of these services, national government has set standards to which the municipalities are committed to follow. In December each year, the Council decides the municipal budget for the year to come. It is financed partly by grants from Stortinget and the Cabinet, partly by income taxes from the inhabitants in the Municipality, and by different taxes and fees on services.
The highest decision-making body in Oslo is the City Council. It has 59 members, headed by the Mayor of Oslo. Elections are held every fourth year.
Seven political parties are represented: Høyre (The Conservative Party), Arbeiderpartiet (The Labour Party), Sosialistisk Folkeparti (The Socialist Party), Fremskrittspartiet (The Liberalistic Party), Venstre (The Liberal Party), Kristelig Folkeparti (The Christian Democratic Party), and Rød Valgallianse (The Red Electoral Alliance).
The City Council is divided into five Standing Committees: Finance, Health and Welfare, Urban Development, Education and Cultural Affairs and Transport and Environmental Affairs. These committees prepare all matters before the City Council finally decides.
The Council also has a Procedures Committee, who arranges the Council’s work, and a Control Committee, which supervises the various activities of the Executive Board and the administrative authorities and offices.
The City Government
The City Government consists of eight members – the Vice Mayors. The City Government heads the City’s administration, makes recommendations to the City Council and is responsible for carrying out decisions made by the City Council. When the decisions are made in the City Council, it is the responsibility of the City Government to ensure that they are implemented.
Each Vice Mayor is the political head of a Department or a part of a Department. They may be compared with National governmental ministers. The Governing Mayor is Head of the City Government.
The City Government consists of six Departments:
Office of the Governing Mayor
Department of Finance*
Department of Urban Development
Department of Cultural Affairs and Education
Department for Seniors and Social Affairs*
Department of Transport, Environmental Affairs and Business Development
* These two Departements have two Vice Mayors each.
Rådhuset
0037 Oslo
Redaktør: Fagsjef Bente M. D. Bastiansen
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