Kristiansand municipality – 23rd best governed municipality in the country

Kristiansand municipality is ranked 23rd in the report “Norway’s best managed municipalities – Municipality Index 2024”. (Drone photo: Kjell Inge Søreide)

It is a marked jump upwards from the report that was presented in 2023. Then Kristiansand was ranked 114th. In 2022, the municipality was ranked as the 46th best governed municipality in the country.

It is the consultancy company Agenda Kaupang that prepares the report every year on behalf of Storebrand.

Kristiansand – presentation from Agenda Kaupang (pdf)

The report was presented at a webinar on 30 April. Municipal director Camilla Dunsæd participated in the webinar.

The webinar

(About Kristiansand gathered from 14.30, primary school from 17.00 and social from 18.30. Comment from municipal director Camilla Dunsæd from around 24.00.)

Emphasis on residents and users

The report emphasizes benefits for residents and users. It compares the municipalities’ costs, service quality and finances, based on data from 2023.

Well managed means low costs, high service quality and good finances.
The purpose of the report is to identify the best managed municipalities, so that other municipalities can learn from them.
The municipal index compares the municipalities’ results over the last three years. The hypothesis is that the municipalities with the best results are the municipalities that are best governed.

“The municipal index emphasizes the municipality’s role as a service producer. 90 per cent of expenditure goes to highly regulated tasks as a producer of welfare services. The municipalities must be able to deliver good services to a sufficient extent without losing control over the economy. We therefore compare service quality, cost level and finances. Costs, quality and finances count equally in the Municipal Index”, writes Agenda Kaupang in this year’s Municipal Index.

It is therefore when the index for costs, quality and finances is combined that Kristiansand ends up in 23rd place. If finances are excluded, Kristiansand is the 8th most efficient municipality. The ranking for the previous two years is 40 (2023) and 30 (2022).

There are several services that are examined annually in the report. For these services, Kristiansand is more efficient than average. Placement in brackets:

Primary school (38), kindergarten (19), child protection (24), nursing and care (23), health (78), administration (78), culture (140), planning and building (158), fire (35) and transport (57).
For these, the efficiency is below average: Social (256) and housing (258).

Good teamwork

Municipal director Camilla Dunsæd. (Photo: Anne Lise Norheim)

– This is the result of good teamwork over many years. There are many who deserve a big thank you for the fact that Kristiansand has been able to deliver services of good quality despite tight municipal finances. I would like to highlight some of what I believe are reasons why we score highly: We have good cooperation between politics and administration and a reasonably stable and responsible political majority in economic matters. Furthermore, there is good and developing cooperation with union representatives. We are keen to compare ourselves to others, and not least to learn from others, and actively participate in various networks. It is also important for us to base service development on a good knowledge base. For example, we took early action in the care services to invest in good home services and have stuck to that investment over time. Finally, I would say that in order to manage to combine efficient economics and good quality, some tough priorities and difficult political choices must be made. Given the big challenge that lies ahead of us, I question whether the framework of the municipality is in line with the major social mission we have. It is becoming increasingly difficult to deliver on that with the resources we have available. I am happy that we have managed it so far, says municipal director Camilla Dunsæd.

Kudos to management and staff

Mayor Mathias Bernander. (Photo: Kristiansand municipality)

– This is the result of good work by many. The top administrative management shows good management and is preparing for a race that is adapted to a tight economy. That is why I would like to pay tribute to the municipal director and her management staff, and not least to the individual employees who ensure that the service delivered to our residents is of good quality, says mayor Mathias Bernander. He says political management has a goal of strengthening the finances and operations of the municipality through, among other things, new establishments and investments in the municipality, reduction of debt and not least through increased frameworks from the state.
– It will hopefully give greater scope for action in the years to come. But everything requires teamwork between politics, administration and employees. It won’t be easy, but we will make it happen thanks to all of you who stand up for our citizens every single day, says the mayor.