Therefore, the municipalities are forced to save - read their own explanations

SVT's survey shows that eight out of ten of the country's municipalities say they need to save money next year.

In SVT's survey, the municipalities have, in their own words, had to describe the reasons for the savings. 168 of the 214 municipalities that responded to the survey have done so.

In their responses, the majority of municipalities describe how the economic deficit is often caused, not just by one but for several contributing reasons.

Of the municipalities that responded, 42 per cent stated that the aging population, but also more children and young people as a cause of their financial problems. In many cases, this creates an imbalance between tax revenue and expenditure in the municipalities. For example, the municipality of Bjuv answers in the survey:

"A combination of more children and the elderly in our operations combined with the fact that the tax base does not increase to the same extent as our costs."

Of the municipalities, 27 per cent state that the state equalization system is not enough, nor are the five extra billions to which the government contributes. The needs of the municipalities are greater than that. For example, the municipality of Västervik describes the situation:

"The state postpones assignments in the municipalities without sending money, which erodes the municipal finances."

Cost increases in various business areas, most of which state different types of social service efforts, state that two out of ten municipalities are contributing causes. This is how Bollnäs Municipality writes:

“Increased costs for Individual and family, mainly abuse placements and shelters. Supply support is also expected to increase as the economy recedes. ”

One in ten municipalities cites asylum immigration as the reason for savings. It is felt that the responsibility for the cost of immigration and integration has been transferred to the municipalities. For example, the municipality of Markaryd describes how the state money has decreased, even though several of the costs of integration work remain. The municipality of Markaryd explains the situation as follows:

“The municipality's revenue for conducting integration work is greatly diminished in terms of flat-rate reimbursement for receiving new arrivals. The need for integration efforts remains, which means that resources need to be allocated in the future, but as the state funding decreases. "