Frp in Gudbrandsdalen goes solo

Innlandet's news from the past 48 hours puts local politics in the foreground. In Gudbrandsdalen, Fremskrittspartiet confirms it will field its own list in the 2027 municipal and county elections, after six terms on a joint list with Høyre. In Nordre Land, the Minister of Labour and Inclusion wants to understand how the municipality reversed the trend of refugees leaving. Arbeiderpartiet, meanwhile, proposes removing digital skills from the core curriculum at school.

Politics: Frp in Gudbrandsdalen wants its own list

Stig Audun Melbø became the very first Frp mayor in Gudbrandsdalen in August, after his predecessor, Anette Musdalslien (Senterpartiet), left the municipality and gave up the mayoralty (NRK Innlandet). The local party, which has long governed on a joint list with Høyre, now confirms it will go alone in next year's election.

Party leader Sylvi Listhaug welcomes the decision. « Det er kjekt å høre at de planlegger å stille en egen Frp-liste her og at vi også rekrutterer i andre kommuner », she tells NRK Innlandet. The party is polling strongly this autumn, including in the districts, and several municipalities are preparing their own Frp lists for the 2027 municipal and county election.

Stig Audun Melbø stresses one point: cooperation between local parties may be the solution. « Tror samarbeid mellom lokale partier kan være løsningen for partiet », he says on public radio, without specifying which partners would be favoured after the joint list with Høyre broke down.

Integration: Innlandet news the government cares about

Ten or so years ago, more than 90 % of refugees settled in Nordre Land left the municipality for other parts of the country. The Minister of Labour and Inclusion, Kjersti Stenseng (Ap), considers the figure too high and wants to know why so many refugees leave the district municipalities where they were initially settled (NRK Innlandet).

Nordre Land mayor Ola Tore Dokken (Sp) acknowledges past mistakes. « Jeg tror vi var for dårlige på å inkludere dem og få dem ut i arbeidslivet så fort som mulig. Vi er mye bedre på det nå », he says. At the company Dokka Fasteners, Ukrainian Serhii Chubar works in the workshop: public radio presents him as evidence that the trend has reversed in the municipality.

The issue reaches beyond Innlandet county. Nationally, Norway plans to take in 8 680 refugees in 2027, nearly 2 000 fewer than this year (The Local Norway). The question of retaining people settled in the districts therefore remains an issue for the country as a whole.

School: Arbeiderpartiet wants to reinstate books and arithmetic

Following last month's Pisa survey results, which show that Norwegian pupils have slipped in reading and mathematics since 2022, Arbeiderpartiet wants to remove digital skills from the list of core competencies (NRK Innlandet). « Ikke fordi vi ikke skal lære oss å bruke digitale verktøy, men fordi elevene først må lære å lese, skrive og regne », explains parliamentary group leader Tonje Brenna.

The party proposes that digital tools be used mainly from 4th grade onwards, and that artificial intelligence not be used in classes from 1st to 4th grade. Tonje Brenna believes pupils will benefit more from digital tools once the foundations of reading, writing and arithmetic are in place.

Culture and local life: Starum, refuse collectors and cross-country skiing

The Starum equestrian centre celebrates its 40th anniversary; NRK dedicates a television programme to the event, broadcast at 19:30 (NRK Innlandet). Public radio has also followed the waste collection crews who work before sunrise, amid heavy bins, unpleasant smells and winter cold (NRK Innlandet).

In Hamar, a chain of shops is moving into the city centre, a year after having to « pull the plug », in the words of the local newspaper (Hamar Arbeiderblad, 24 October). In sport, cross-country skiers Julie and Norah Sand-Hanssen, 20, use a method that is increasingly common among cross-country athletes; a researcher urges young practitioners to take care (NRK Innlandet).

📌 Local briefs

In Nord-Odal, a search conducted on Thursday at the former Bruvoll prison led to the discovery of a large cannabis farm; eight people were arrested and six of them were placed in pretrial detention on Friday, with partial isolation and a visiting ban, the latest two being presented on Saturday morning (NRK Innlandet).

A cup of coffee cost one man 45 000 kroner (Hamar Arbeiderblad, 23 October). Moving his car 150 metres was enough to create a problem (GD Gudbrandsdølen, 23 October).

Sources: NRK Innlandet, Hamar Arbeiderblad, GD Gudbrandsdølen, The Local Norway — Period: 23 October 2026 and 24 October 2026