Names adopted for new boroughs

The Oslo news of the past 48 hours has been dominated by a local policy decision: Oslo City Council has adopted the names of the 8 future boroughs (districts) that will replace the current 15 on 1 January 2028. Two institutional reports released at the same time criticise the municipality’s Kulturetaten and the use of restraints in 2 psychiatric wards at Ahus. These cases directly concern Oslo County and the Ahus hospital in neighbouring Akershus. (NRK Oslo ; The Local Norway)

Oslo news: Names of the 8 future boroughs adopted

Oslo City Council has approved the names of the 8 new districts: Vestre Aker, Gamle Aker, Gamle Oslo, Frysja, Hovin, Øvre Groruddalen, Østensjø and Nordstrand. The names will take effect with the major borough reform on 1 January 2028, when the current 15 districts will be reduced to 8. The decision did not win unanimous support, either on the principle of the reform or on the nomenclature. (NRK Oslo ; The Local Norway)

SV proposed naming the new Østensjø district “Søndre Aker” and the Nordstrand district “Ljabru”. Miljøpartiet De Grønne and Rødt supported not assigning any names at all and retaining numbers only. Fremskrittspartiet sought to add 2 names from the former Aker municipality: “Nordre Aker” instead of Frysja and “Østre Aker” instead of Øvre Groruddalen. Much of the outer city belonged to Aker municipality until 1948. (NRK Oslo)

These debates illustrate the symbolic and administrative scope of the reform in Oslo County. The new names will not take effect until 2028, but they already establish the framework for future municipal districts. (NRK Oslo)

Oslo news: Kulturetaten criticised for systematic failings

An external investigation by Deloitte and Kommunerevisjonen, commissioned by the city government, concludes that there were systematic breaches of rules and procedures within Oslo Municipality’s Kulturetaten. The report describes a culture of “doing the bare minimum”, according to the conclusion cited by NRK Oslo. The findings include significant weaknesses in internal control, failings in public procurement, a lack of impartiality assessments and insufficient oversight of grants awarded by the administration itself. (NRK Oslo, according to Aftenposten)

Breaches of procurement rules are said not to be limited to isolated cases but to form a recurring pattern. The report also raises a high risk of corruption. Kommunerevisjonen had repeatedly warned about the situation in this administration between 2019 and 2022. “Vårt Oslo” was the first media outlet to raise the issue. (NRK Oslo, according to Aftenposten)

Kulturetaten is an Oslo municipal administration. The investigation was commissioned by the city government, giving the issue a local political dimension. (NRK Oslo)

At Ahus, patients restrained for up to 12 days

Sivilombudet, Norway’s public administration oversight authority, criticises the use of restraints in 2 psychiatric inpatient wards at Ahus. In a report published following an inspection conducted in May, ombud Hanne Harlem states that calm patients remained restrained during repeated visits. Several patients are said to have been unlawfully restrained for long periods; one case lasted nearly 12 days. (NRK Oslo)

The report notes that patients were not necessarily released once they had calmed down and that sleeping patients were generally kept restrained. Another patient was restrained for 42 hours with a broken hand after becoming agitated. X-rays and painkillers were administered, but the hand was not put in a cast until the restraints were removed. (NRK Oslo)

These findings concern hospital practices rather than an isolated incident. Sivilombudet’s report forms part of its institutional monitoring of patients’ rights in psychiatric wards. (NRK Oslo)

📌 Local briefs

Oslo police say 5 cats were found dead and dismembered in the Bærum area and western Oslo. The animals were sent for autopsy; investigators are awaiting the reports to establish the causes of death, and no suspect has been identified. Earlier in October, after half a cat was found in Stabekk, police said they believed human intervention was responsible. (NRK Oslo)

Sources: NRK Oslo, Aftenposten, The Local Norway — Period: 22 October 2026 and 23 October 2026