3 towns told to take no refugees

The latest Østfold news from the past 48 hours: three urban municipalities in the county will not be invited to host new refugees in 2027, as 8,680 arrivals are expected in Norway. Meanwhile, a study highlights that the price of a bus ticket is not enough to change travel habits between Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg, and Rygge air base is at the centre of debate over conditions for guard soldiers.

Østfold news: 3 towns exempt from taking in refugees in 2027

Three urban municipalities in Østfold will not be asked to settle new refugees next year. The information was communicated on Friday by the IMDi, the Norwegian Directorate of Integration and Diversity, and reported by NRK Østfold. The county therefore remains part of the national allocation scheme, but without any new requests for these three municipalities.

The overall number announced for 2027 exceeds 8,000 arrivals nationwide, according to the IMDi. The Local Norway provides the exact figure: 8,680 refugees expected in 2027, nearly 2,000 fewer than this year. This relative decline comes amid calls from several Norwegian municipalities for a better balance between available capacity and integration resources.

For Østfold, the IMDi decision concerns densely populated urban municipalities where housing and access to public services are the main pressure points. No list of municipalities was published in the information provided on Friday.

Transport: Norway’s cheapest bus fares fail to fill the buses

Residents of Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg have the country’s lowest bus fares, NRK Østfold reports. Yet private car use still dominates in both cities. A researcher cited by the public broadcaster concludes that lower prices alone are not enough to change travel habits.

The issue lies in the organisation of journeys themselves: daily travel in Østfold often links peripheral residential areas with dispersed centres of employment, commerce and services. Ticket prices are only one part of the equation, with frequency, connections and journey time weighing equally in the choice of transport mode.

Rygge: Guard soldiers must share beds

At Rygge air base in Østfold, soldiers assigned to guard duty must share a bed during their service. The Air Force’s chief personnel representative says the practice goes too far and describes “small awkward situations”, according to NRK Østfold.

The issue concerns logistics and the organisation of shifts at the base, where guard soldiers rotate over short periods. Personnel representatives, rather than the command, are raising the matter, and for now it remains limited to Rygge.

Kjerringåsen: Alpine ski centre sent for trial

The Kjerringåsen alpine ski centre has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, NRK Østfold reports. The incident dates back to January 2024: Roald Falch Eriksen, 18, from Fredrikstad, was carrying out maintenance work at the top station of the chairlift when he became trapped and was killed.

According to the accident report, a 13-year-old employee entered an unlocked control cabin and started the facility while the young man was servicing the top of the chairlift. The emergency stop circuit had been activated, but the facility began moving: the young man became trapped between the spokes of the drive wheel and a steel beam. The company is also prosecuted for serious violations of the Working Environment Act and the Chairlift Act, including a failure to have adequate safety procedures.

📌 Local briefs

In Sarpsborg, a threat of a “school attack” dated 23 October at 11:00 was written in marker at three locations at a school on Friday morning; pupils were kept locked in their classrooms during the check, with police arriving on site at 10:30 and confirming there was no real danger, according to the school management, the municipality and the police operation cited by NRK Østfold (Ane Sunniva Tvete, Fredrik Solbakken).

On Hvaler island, a man described as a stalker turns up at homes and insists on entering, Fredriksstad Blad reports. In Moss, a property owner has finally obtained permission to install a sound barrier after 8 years, and 4 additional dwellings have been approved on an estate valued at 17 million kroner (Moss Avis).

Fredriksstad Blad also reports a record-breaking altitude project at Dammyr, a portrait of a resident who has twice battled cancer, and a sporting encounter with a former coach.

Sources: NRK Østfold, Fredriksstad Blad, Moss Avis, The Local Norway — Period: 24 October 2026 and 25 October 2026