Normprisrådet renewed despite Storting vote

News Nordland / Lofoten from the last 48 hours is dominated by the 2027 Norwegian state budget. The government proposes to renew the normprisrådet, which the Storting voted to abolish in June, prompting reactions in Nordland. The Hamsunsenteret receives 9 million kroner, while Nordland fylkeskommune closes its posting journal after sensitive personal data was published.

News Nordland: normprisrådet renewed despite Storting vote

In June, the Storting asked the government to present a proposal to abolish both the normprisrådet and the normpriser regime from the 2027 income year (NRK Nordland / Lofoten). The normprisrådet is a group of experts that sets fish prices used to calculate the salmon tax owed by fish-farming companies.

In its draft budget, the government nevertheless chooses to renew the council next year, while alternatives are being studied. "The Storting is above the government. I do not accept that," says Nordland MP Bent-Joacim Bentzen (Sp) (NRK Nordland / Lofoten). He calls the decision "incredibly arrogant" and criticises the fact that the Labour Party keeps its normprisråd. Sjømat Norge director general Geir Ove Ystmark is also reacting to the government text.

This decision weighs on news Nordland / Lofoten: in Nordland county, salmon farming and fishing structure a significant share of local economic activity and employment.

Statsbudsjettet 2027: 9 million to Hamsunsenteret, 100 kroner for a Lofoten family

The Hamsunsenteret receives 4 million kroner in the 2027 draft budget, supplemented by 5 million kroner promised in later budgets, for a total of 9 million (NRK Nordland / Lofoten). Director Monica Celius says she is relieved: "This gives us many possibilities for the future. It is cruelly needed. There has been a lot of joy, smiles and relief here today."

The money will be used to renew the exhibition, modernise the centre's kitchen and develop the outdoor areas. Earlier this year, renovation work on the façade was completed with support from the fylkeskommune. "It will increase our possibilities to be a cultural beacon," adds Monica Celius.

For other residents, the budget is more modest. Malin Morfjord, 43, from Lofoten, works full-time as an educator at the Svolvær primary and secondary school (Lofoten) and takes on extra jobs in a restaurant and pub. She gets about 100 kroner less in tax per month. "A 100-kroner note is just two more cartons of milk a month," she estimates (NRK Nordland / Lofoten).

Sensitive data: Nordland fylkeskommune closes its posting journal

Nordland fylkeskommune has closed its posting journal on eInnsyn after personal data linked to child protection, the PPT and dental care was published openly (NRK Nordland / Lofoten). The Datatilsynet was notified of the incident. The fylkeskommune must now check hundreds of thousands of documents before it can reopen the journal.

"We can only regret that this happened. We take this very seriously," says Laila Holmvaag, director of finance and organisation. The cause is said to be a human error in coding individual documents in closed files. The fylkeskommune says it discovered the data protection discrepancy during routine internal searches.

King Haakon's first official visit to Narvik

King Haakon will make his first official visit to a municipality in Narvik, on Tuesday 13 October, the Royal Palace says in a statement (NRK Nordland / Lofoten). It is Haakon's first official municipal trip, having become king following the death of his father, Harald V, on 28 August 2026. "It is a great honour to welcome the king to Narvik for his first official visit," says mayor Rune Edvardsen. Narvik was a central municipality during the Second World War, where some of the fiercest fighting on Norwegian soil took place.

📌 Local briefs

A Polish diver in her forties died in Narvik; the rest of the diving group, six in total, also came from Poland, and one participant was taken to the UNN in Tromsø. The group was diving near the wreck of the DS "Odin", at about 60 metres depth (NRK Nordland / Lofoten).

On the island of Andøya (Vesterålen archipelago), police are searching for a 70-year-old man in Andenes, reported missing and presumed dead. Next of kin have been notified and the search, begun on Tuesday, continues (NRK Nordland / Lofoten).

On the economic front, Lofotposten reports that a company changed its name six times in seven years before being declared bankrupt, that the "Folkebadet" is now up for sale, and that a letter will be sent to several recipients (Lofotposten). Avisa Nordland reports a management ban imposed on a director, judged unfit to run new companies, as well as a shortened festival with equivalent content (Avisa Nordland).

Sources: NRK Nordland / Lofoten, Avisa Nordland, Lofotposten, The Local Norway — Period: 07 October 2026 and 08 October 2026