Raymond Johansen believes that state-owned enterprises do not need expensive premises in central Oslo. Now he wants to move many of them to Groruddalen and Søndre Nordstrand.

“There is no reason for them to rent premises in the most expensive area in the city,” City Council chief Raymond Johansen (AP) told the newspaper VG.

According to the Oslo Municipality’s overview, 3,275 jobs in 26 state directorates and authorities are located in the city center. Johansen says that the number of employees is probably well over 3,500 in reality because some of the companies do not state how many employees they have in Oslo.

Saving money

He now wants to move the government jobs to Groruddalen and Søndre Nordstrand because he believes it will be feasible, free up space for business activities, and because he believes that activities are needed in other areas of the city.

Johansen says that the Labor Party will be able to take the initiative for the move if they gain government power after the election.

Minister of Local Government and Modernization Nikolai Astrup (H) agrees with Johansen – he noted that the government is already working to move businesses east of Oslo.

“As a general rule, we have new businesses located outside Oslo. If special reasons call for a location in Oslo, they should be added to Groruddalen or similar areas that make a good contribution to the development of Oslo,” he said.

Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews

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