The Social Democrats, the Left Party and the Environmental Party will govern Luleå municipality for the next four years, and on Monday the three parties presented their first joint budget for 2023 through 2025.
And it is about preserving welfare in a time of inflation, interest rate increases and other cost increases.
"2023 - a tough year"
The municipality expects the operating surplus to drop to fifteen million kroner in 2023 because no savings will be implemented.
Instead, roughly eleven million kroner is invested in inflation compensation for committees and boards.
- We don't want to step in and streamline operations now.
We believe that the high inflation is short-term and transitory, but 2023 will be a tough year and we need to be able to compensate our operations for the effects of inflation, says municipal councilor Carina Sammeli (S).
"Consensus on the budget"
And then roughly SEK 40 million will be invested in high quality in welfare, more teachers and more administrators for building permits, a continued investment in the countryside and new pedestrian and bicycle paths.
In addition, a large number of investigative tasks will be outsourced to the civil servants, such as free public transport in the summer for children up to 19 years of age and a climate plan towards 2040 that must be clarified and followed up politically.
- We have had a great consensus and I haven't had to argue so much, so I am satisfied with the budget, says the left's group leader, Mattias Karvonen.