The municipal sector's mandate

The plan states that welfare should encompass everyone who lives in the country and that the public sector's share of the economy must grow, not shrink. Linking municipal economies to slowed immigration also contradicts the plan's anti-racist commitment not to pit people against each other. The demand to reduce municipalities' and regions' responsibilities is therefore rejected, while the plan at the same time values self-governance and demands increased redistribution to municipalities.

• welfare for everyone who lives heredecisive»Att välfärden omfattar alla som bor i vårt land har länge varit en viktig del i det som gjort Sverige till ett tryggt och jämlikt land.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“That welfare encompasses everyone who lives in our country has long been an important part of what has made Sweden a secure and equal country.”
• growing public sector»Vänsterpartiet menar att den offentliga sektorns andel av ekonomin« (party programme ↗)“The Left Party means that the public sector's share of the economy”
• don't pit groups against each other»Ett tryggt samhälle ställer inte människor mot varandra.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“A secure society does not pit people against each other.”
• value municipal self-governance»Den kommunala självstyrelsen, lokalt och regionalt, är en viktig del« (party programme ↗)“Municipal self-governance, locally and regionally, is an important part”

The plan wants to increase resources to welfare throughout the country and continue increasing the state's grants to municipalities and regions, not reduce their assignments. Equivalent welfare presupposes according to the plan municipal tax equalisation rather than a narrowing toward core tasks. The plan also opposes making poor places' problems into ethnic problems, even though its stricter migration line remains.

• increased resources to municipalitiesdecisive»Öka resurserna till välfärden i hela landet. Vi vill fortsätta öka statens bidrag till kommuner och regioner.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase resources to welfare throughout the country. We want to continue increasing the state's grants to municipalities and regions.”
• tax equalisation for equivalent welfare»Alla invånare i hela landet ska ha likvärdig tillgång till skola, vård och omsorg. Det förutsätter en kommunal skatteutjämning så att inte olika skattekraft och skillnader i befolkningens sammansättning leder till skillnader i välfärd mellan olika kommuner.« (party programme ↗)“All residents throughout the country shall have equivalent access to school, health services and care. This presupposes municipal tax equalisation so that not different tax capacity and differences in population composition lead to differences in welfare between different municipalities.”
• class is not made into ethnicity»finns det en risk att fattiga grupper och platser, och därmed klasstrukturer, felaktigt görs till etniska problem i samhällsdebatten. Detta synsätt vill vi socialdemokrater bekämpa.« (party programme ↗)“there is a risk that poor groups and places, and thus class structures, are incorrectly made into ethnic problems in public debate. This outlook we social democrats want to combat.”
• strict migration policy»Vi har stramat åt migrationspolitiken, och denna linje ligger fast.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We have tightened our migration policy, and this line remains fixed.”

The counter-proposal is based on slowing immigration and reducing the municipalities' mandate. The plan goes in the opposite direction: asylum rights shall be defended, and the party wants regions and municipalities to receive increased responsibility and influence, with a tax system that provides equivalent conditions for service throughout the country. The demand is therefore rejected on substance.

• defended asylum rightsdecisive»försvara asylrätten och kvotflyktingsystemet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“defend asylum rights and the refugee quota system.”
• increased municipal responsibility»kommuner ges ett ökat ansvar och inflytande över de« (party programme ↗)“municipalities are given increased responsibility and influence over the”
• equalization for equivalent service»Ett väl fungerande skattesystem ska ge likvärdiga ekonomiska förutsättningar« (party programme ↗)“A well-functioning tax system shall provide equivalent economic conditions”

The counter-proposal's bearing premise is that municipalities' finances require that immigration is slowed. The plan stands for the opposite: a generous and humane migration policy where it is not the borders that shall be closed but the labour market that shall be opened, and it explicitly rejects protectionism and closed borders. That the plan shares the view on the financing principle and municipal self-determination is not enough to support such a demand.

• generous migration policydecisive»Centerpartiet strävar efter öppna gränser, fri rörlighet samt en generös och human flykting- och invandringspolitik.« (party programme ↗)“The Centre Party strives for open borders, free movement and a generous and humane refugee and immigration policy.”
• open labour market instead»är inte gränserna som ska stängas, utan arbetsmarknaden som ska öppnas.« (party programme ↗)“are not the borders that shall be closed, but the labour market that shall be opened.”
• no to closed borders»Sverige behöver mer frihandel och internationellt samarbete, inte protektionism och stängda gränser.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden needs more free trade and international cooperation, not protectionism and closed borders.”
• municipal self-determination»Kommunerna måste få större möjligheter att ta ansvar för dessa utmaningar.« (party programme ↗)“Municipalities must be given greater opportunities to take responsibility for these challenges.”

flags: delvis stöd: varsamhet med ofinansierade statliga uppgifter

The plan's clearest commitment on the municipal sector's assignment is to shift financing responsibility for, among other things, schools and LSS from municipalities to the state and that primary and secondary schools shall be state-run, which is precisely a reduction of municipal responsibility with focus on core assignments. The counter-proposal's requirement for care with unfinanced tasks and an investigation of reduced municipal responsibility therefore follows from the plan. The counter-proposal's argument about slowed immigration has however no support in the plan, which instead embraces openness.

• shift responsibility from municipalitiesdecisive»Vi vill skapa mer likvärdiga villkor och skatter genom att flytta finansieringsansvaret för bland annat skolan och LSS till staten.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to create more equivalent conditions and taxes by shifting the financing responsibility for, among other things, schools and LSS to the state.”
• state management»grund- och gymnasieskolan ska därför vara statligt.« (party programme ↗)“primary and secondary schools shall therefore be state-run.”
• statify schools»Vi vill att staten tar över ansvaret från skolan från kommunerna« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want the state to take responsibility from schools away from municipalities”
• openness towards the world»Stängda gränser gör världen fattigare.« (party programme ↗)“Closed borders make the world poorer.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan establishes that the financing principle must be respected when the state imposes new tasks on municipalities, which directly supports the requirement for care with unfunded assignments. The election manifesto's demand for strict migration policy responds to the counter-proposal's reasons, and the party's desire to move health care responsibility from the regions shows that clarification of the municipal sector's tasks lies within the plan. The strong municipal self-governance simultaneously sets the frame for how responsibility can be changed.

• the financing principledecisive»Finansieringsprincipen måste respekteras när staten ålägger kommunerna nya uppgifter.« (party programme ↗)“The financing principle must be respected when the state imposes new tasks on municipalities.”
• strict migration policy»Stram migrationspolitik krävs för att ta itu med integrationsproblem och utanförskap.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strict migration policy is required to address integration problems and social exclusion.”
• clarified principal responsibility»Avskaffa regionernas ansvar för sjukvården.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Abolish the regions' responsibility for health care.”
• strong municipal self-governance»Den kommunala självstyrelsen ska vara stark« (party programme ↗)“Municipal self-governance shall be strong”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan states that immigration must decrease and wants to introduce a volume target for asylum reception at Nordic levels, among other things due to the very large costs that lack of self-sufficiency entails for taxpayers. Slowing the immigration level and clarifying municipalities' mandate towards core activities follows from the plan's requirement to prioritize and choose not to do things. The counter-proposal's demand thus coincides with the plan.

• volume target for asylum receptiondecisive»Införa ett volymmål för asylmottagandet på nordiska nivåer« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Introduce a volume target for asylum reception at Nordic levels”
• reduced immigration»Invandringen till Sverige behöver minska för att integrationen ska fungera bättre.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Immigration to Sweden needs to decrease for integration to work better.”
• prioritize core tasks»Politiken har en viktig uppgift att prioritera och välja bort,« (party programme ↗)“Politics has an important task to prioritize and choose not to do things,”
• the cost of exclusion»Om utrikesfödda jobbade i samma utsträckning som inrikesfödda skulle skattebetalarna spara 57 miljarder kronor om året.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“If foreign-born people worked to the same extent as Swedish-born people, taxpayers would save 57 billion kronor per year.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The plan explicitly points to the costs for those who do not work as a strong factor behind municipalities' increasingly poor finances and demands that asylum immigration from countries outside the immediate region is stopped. The party programme furthermore states that the state should never impose new cost-driving commitments on municipalities without full compensation, and public appropriations shall be concentrated on the core of welfare. The counter-proposal's demands thus follow directly from the plan, which also expresses itself on the financing principle that the committee cites.

• migration costs pressure municipalitiesdecisive»Samhällets kostnader för de som inte arbetar eroderar välfärden och är en stark faktor bakom kommunernas allt sämre ekonomi och skattehöjningar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Society's costs for those who do not work erode welfare and are a strong factor behind municipalities' increasingly poor finances and tax increases.”
• stopped asylum immigration»Stoppa asylinvandringen från länder som inte utgör vårt närområde« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Stop asylum immigration from countries that do not constitute our immediate region”
• municipal financing principle»Staten bör aldrig fatta beslut om nya kostnadsdrivande åtaganden för« (party programme ↗)“The state should never make decisions about new cost-driving commitments for”
• focus on welfare's core»Offentliga anslag ska i första hand fokuseras för att stärka välfärdens hjärta« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Public appropriations shall primarily be focused to strengthen welfare's core”