Statsforvalter to adjust practices

The Tromsø / Finnmark news from the last 48 hours: the Statsforvalter in Troms og Finnmark presented the conclusions of a report commissioned from PwC on Wednesday 21 October after criticism from the municipalities, at the “Arena Troms” conference. In parallel, SV proposes that the State take a stake in Sydvaranger Gruve of NOK 400 million, and the Tromsøundersøkelsen is still looking for about 6,000 participants.

Tromsø / Finnmark news: the Statsforvalter wants to adjust practices

Runar Sjåstad, statsforvalter, stands by the approach. “We commissioned this report ourselves precisely to receive advice on improvement and change,” he says (NRK Tromsø / Finnmark). The state administration acknowledges that it has been criticised in several individual cases. “We have seen that there are things we can do differently overall,” adds Runar Sjåstad.

On Wednesday, at the “Arena Troms” conference, the statsforvalter met mayors and municipal directors to present the results. The report was written by PwC at the request of the state administration: 75 municipal directors and mayors from 39 municipalities in Troms and Finnmark were asked about current and future challenges. The document contains both criticism and praise of the Statsforvalter.

The mayor of Nordreisa, Hilde Anita Nyvoll (Ap), recognises herself in the conclusions. The report notes in particular a wish for better guidance (“bedre veiledning”) from the municipalities (NRK Tromsø / Finnmark). The two counties of Troms and Finnmark, which until 2024 formed the county of Troms og Finnmark, remain covered by the same state administration.

Sydvaranger Gruve: SV proposes NOK 400 million

SV wants the State to become a co-owner of Sydvaranger Gruve, reports NRK Tromsø / Finnmark. The party proposes putting NOK 400 million on the table. Public support would be valuable for attracting more investors, which the mine needs to restart, according to the company’s administrative director.

The mining site is located in Kirkenes, in the municipality of Sør-Varanger (Finnmark), near the Russian border. The resumption of activity depends on the ability to gather investors, the management says.

Tromsøundersøkelsen: about 6,000 participants missing

The Tromsøundersøkelsen, described by NRK as the country’s largest population survey, has entered its eighth edition. About 6,000 participants are still missing to complete this round.

The most difficult recruitment concerns men aged 40 to 55. “The statistics show that it is people between 40 and 55 who are behind in participating,” says project manager Elin Skog. “Women are better than men at showing up. Men are the slowest,” she adds (NRK Tromsø / Finnmark).

Tor Ivar Vestgård, a man “in his mid-forties”, explains his motivation: “It is good to know something about one’s own health. But the most important thing for me is to help provide an overall picture of the state of public health.” This edition of the survey ends on 22 December (NRK Tromsø / Finnmark).

Sør-Varanger: about 6,000 residents without water

About 6,000 people were without water in Sør-Varanger on Wednesday evening, according to iFinnmark (21 October, 22:00). An appeal to save water was launched in the municipality.

Health: longer wait for an IVG in the north

NRK has documented over recent months women who wait several weeks for a voluntary termination of pregnancy while their bodies change. With one exception, it is hospitals that take care of women who wish to have an abortion; in the north, the wait is up to four weeks longer than in the west, according to the regional broadcaster (NRK Tromsø / Finnmark).

Idun Røseth, professor of psychology at the University of Agder, describes this wait as a psychological and physical burden: “They live with an unwanted pregnancy, where they know that the foetus is developing day by day, and where they have troublesome pregnancy symptoms” (NRK Tromsø / Finnmark).

On another health matter, Health Minister Jan Christian Vestre maintains his confidence in the clean-up work begun by Finnmarkssykehuset after several serious alerts in the ambulance service. He invites whistleblowers who feel they have been poorly treated to report again. The chair of the Storting’s health committee, Kjersti Toppe, considers the absence of an external investigation criticisable and calls for an independent evaluation (NRK Tromsø / Finnmark).

Culture: the Kvenforbundet criticises the 2027 budget

The Norske kveners forbund – Ruijan kvääniliitto (Nkf-Rk) believes that the state budget proposal for 2027 does not follow the commitments made to the Kven. Its chair Kristin Mellem and vice-chair Rune Sundelin took part this week in the hearing of the Storting’s local government and administration committee; the budget was presented on 15 October.

The forbund stresses that its workload has increased sharply in recent years and that it is asking for additional resources. “A lack of economic follow-up would be a broken promise that harms the reconciliation work,” says Kristin Mellem (NRK Tromsø / Finnmark). In 2024, the Storting adopted 17 measures intended to compensate for the consequences of the Norwegianisation policy.

📌 Local briefs

• A 16-year-old is being prosecuted after a head-on collision near Tromsøbrua (Nordlys, 21 October).
• A man is accused of having taken off his underpants and assaulted police officers at a campsite in Finnmark (iFinnmark, 22 October).
• Streets and alleys in Tromsø have been given additional names (iTromsø, 21 October).
• A TIL goalkeeper made a very visible error during a match (Nordlys, 21 October).
• Simon, 19, has launched his earthmoving company, a project he describes as his childhood dream (iFinnmark, 22 October).

Sources: NRK Tromsø / Finnmark, Nordlys, iTromsø, iFinnmark, The Local Norway — Period: 21 October 2026 and 22 October 2026