Norway's Conservative Party, Høyre, has voted down a proposal to make Innlandet the first county to eliminate its fylkeskommune, or county council. The plan, introduced during Høyre’s national meeting at Gardermoen, aimed to pilot the removal of county-level administration while simultaneously merging local municipalities so they could handle transferred responsibilities. Fylkesleder Hanne Alstrup Velure argued that Innlandet faces the biggest challenges related to demographics and distances, making it a logical starting point for structural reform. Several other voices within the party disagreed. Tom Mello, mayor of Færder in Vestfold, suggested his region might be better suited as a pilot area. He pointed out that Vestfold has already reduced its number of municipalities from 14 to 6, with each now serving between 27,000 and 67,000 residents. Mello believes this scale allows communities to function effectively as generalist municipalities capable of managing expanded duties like upper secondary education and regional roads. Currently, county councils oversee responsibilities including upper secondary schools, county roads, environmental initiatives, and public transport. While Kommunal- og distriktsminister Bjørnar Skjæran (Ap) supports municipal mergers to build stronger local governments, Høyre’s editorial committee recommended rejecting the Innlandet proposal. A clear majority at the national meeting agreed. The rejection signaled continued interest by party leaders in redrawing Norway’s administrative map if they return to government.
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