8 million kroner last year. The municipality has used up its disposal fund and has had to take out loans to pay salaries. Bø municipality ended up on the so-called ROBEK list in 2024 for not submitting its accounts on time, highlighting administrative failures.
Tromsø municipality has not yet delivered its accounts for 2025, and its annual accounts show a thundering deficit that could send the municipality straight onto the ROBEK list. Tromsø municipality spent 66 million kroner more than it had coverage for in 2025 and is at risk of ending up on the ROBEK list, leading to plans to lay off 200 employees. Among the 15 largest municipalities in the country, the one governed by the Labour Party, Tromsø, is running with a thundering deficit, while the 14 municipalities where the Conservative Party has the mayor are now running with a surplus.
Fresh figures from NHO show that businesses in Troms are the most optimistic in the entire country, contrasting with the municipal financial struggles. Conservative Party politician Markus Akselbo will ask Tromsø mayor Gunnar Wilhelmsen to provide ongoing updates on the economy at every executive board meeting going forward. The question will be raised at this week's municipal council meeting, on Wednesday, April 15.
2 percent in 2019, a historical context that may relate to its current financial distress. Key unknowns remain, including whether the wealth tax cut in Bø municipality has ultimately paid off economically and when Tromsø municipality will finally deliver and make available its full accounts for 2025, as well as what specific strategies both municipalities will implement to address their deficits and avoid further ROBEK list placements.