Lawyer rules hiring illegal

The latest news from Vestfold and Telemark over the past 48 hours: one of Norway’s leading labour law attorneys has deemed the recruitment of former county mayor Sven Tore Løkslid by Kviteseid municipality unlawful, new housing construction in Vestfold has more than halved, and residents of Skien were stranded at their holiday cabin area after a power outage and the collapse of the access road.

Vestfold / Telemark news: Lawyer rules Kviteseid hiring unlawful

One of the country’s most renowned labour law attorneys has concluded that Kviteseid municipality in Telemark broke the law by appointing former county mayor Sven Tore Løkslid as economic director and deputy municipal director (NRK Vestfold / Telemark, 26 October). The specialist calls it « et klart lovbrudd », a clear breach of the law.

The recruitment had already sparked debate, as the appointee had headed the executive of the former Vestfold og Telemark county before it was dissolved on 1 January 2024. The public broadcaster submitted the case to this specialist attorney; the conclusion concerns the rules applicable to hiring within municipal government. The published article does not specify what action the municipality intends to take in response to the opinion.

Kviteseid is a rural municipality in Telemark, west of the county. The case therefore brings together a local authority and a political figure from the former regional entity, in a county where NFRadio’s two branches have covered Vestfold and Telemark separately since 2024.

New homes: Groundbreaking starts more than halved in Vestfold

Tønsbergs Blad reported on 27 October on « crisis figures » for Vestfold, where new housing construction has more than halved. The Tønsberg newspaper led its morning edition with this sharp decline.

The county includes Tønsberg, Sandefjord, Larvik, Horten and Holmestrand, where most of the population is concentrated. A halving in groundbreaking starts reduces the supply of new homes in the medium term, in a region where urban pressure remains strong along the coast.

Family stranded at holiday cabin area in Skien

Irene Bjerk from Gulset in Skien, Telemark, took her husband and grandchildren Luka (4) and Filippa (9) to the family’s Svanstul cabin at the far northern end of Skien municipality on Friday (NRK Vestfold / Telemark). At 7:30 a.m. on Sunday 25 October, the holiday homes in the Flekkeråsen cabin area lost power. Three hours later, floodwaters washed away the area’s road.

« Det ble jo litt annerledes enn vi hadde forestilt oss », she acknowledges. The family was waiting for an excavator to reopen the track. This was not the first time: the same situation had occurred during last year’s extreme-weather event « Amy » and the previous summer. These conditions came during a weekend of strong winds and heavy rain in southern Norway, when the E6 was closed between Lillehammer and Biri, outside the area covered by this branch.

Bus tickets: Driver says half of passengers remain stranded

René, a bus driver, says around half of his passengers are unable to buy a ticket (Tønsbergs Blad, 27 October). The regional newspaper quotes the driver, who says he is frustrated by the situation. The article does not specify which routes are affected.

The issue concerns buying tickets on board and through digital channels, a recurring point of frustration for users of the network in Vestfold.

School bullying: Marie’s experiences, 27, inform research

Marie Lien Halvorsen, 27, tells NRK Vestfold / Telemark about the years of bullying and exclusion that marked her schooling. During gym class, she was picked last, or not picked at all. « Jeg følte meg som den stygge andungen i verden », she says: she felt like the world’s ugly duckling, and like a problem.

Her later career was also affected: several full-time and part-time jobs, none of which she managed to sustain. « Jeg ble så sliten at jeg ikke klarte å se tydelig og gråt på jobb », she says. Her experiences are now considered important to the research, according to the public broadcaster.

Tyre changes: Price difference of nearly NOK 1,000

Telemarksavisa compared the prices of tyre changes and the cost of keeping tyres at the hotel: the cheapest and most expensive offers differ by nearly NOK 1,000 (27 October). The difference applies to the same service as the winter season approaches.

📌 Local briefs

Other brief news from Vestfold and Telemark. A 19-year-old man has been charged with raping three children (Telemarksavisa, 26 October). Linn, 54, was discharged from the emergency department with a diagnosis of pneumonia and says: « Det er et under at jeg ennå lever » (Tønsbergs Blad, 27 October). A second-hand shop had a queue lasting more than an hour before opening, for a day dedicated to « gjenbruksjul », the recycling Christmas (Tønsbergs Blad, 27 October).

Sources: NRK Vestfold / Telemark, Tønsbergs Blad, Telemarksavisa, The Local Norway — Period: 26 October 2026 and 27 October 2026