Haparanda Politicians Cut Salaries to Boost Elderly Care Funding

In Haparanda, local politicians are taking proactive measures to address the municipality's fiscal challenges by voluntarily reducing their salaries, aiming to support a struggling elderly care budget. Starting June 1, municipal councilor Janne Lind (C) will see his monthly salary decrease from 72,000 SEK to 64,000 SEK, resulting in an annual saving of approximately 144,000 SEK when factoring in social fees. Lind expressed concerns over Haparanda residents being the highest per capita contributors to political parties in Sweden, saying, "We are number one in the country... I find it troubling."

The municipality is grappling with a significant 26 million SEK deficit, largely due to an aging population which increases demands for social services. To manage these financial strains, the local council plans to close a school and a preschool this fall and pause investments in water and sewage systems. Lind asserted that the municipality must take steadfast responsibility for its financial dilemmas: "We should not expect anyone to come and fix this for us; we must do it ourselves."

Additionally, discussions are underway concerning a reduction in party support from 50% to 40% of the price base amount, with potential for further cuts. The council anticipates that these measures could save an extra million SEK annually after the new year. Lind emphasized that adjusting salaries, though uncommon, is necessary for building community acceptance, stating, "If we start talking about raising allowances, it is not appropriate for us to do so ourselves. We have wanted to lower the allowances, making it easier to explain to our citizens."