A majority on Fanø City Council has agreed a 2027 budget that makes local buses free, lowers kindergarten fees by more than DKK 400 and funds nature maintenance on the island.
DR reported on September 22 that the deal ends several years of cuts in the small island municipality. Mayor Frank Jensen of Radikale Venstre said it is a pleasure to be mayor of Fanø at the moment.
Under the agreement, bus travel on Fanø becomes free, and parents will pay more than DKK 400 less for a kindergarten place. The budget also sets aside money for looking after the island’s nature.
According to DR, the turnaround is driven by a fixed annual state grant of just over DKK 20 million. Jensen said the money means the municipality does not have to cut spending, and does not have to raise taxes either. Instead, he said, it can improve services such as cheaper daycare and free buses.
The change in tone is sharp. DR notes that in September 2024, Jensen presented a historically poor budget to around 200 residents. Several people on the island told DR at the time that they were considering moving away because of the municipality’s finances.
Fanø’s position also stands out this autumn. DR has reported that a number of other Danish municipalities are landing budgets with large savings, including one of the country’s poorest municipalities, where the local budget was described as a catastrophe. Fanø’s agreement instead expands services, with no tax increase attached.
Five council members stand outside the deal
The budget does not have the backing of the full council. Fanø City Council has 11 members, and five of them are not part of next year’s agreement, according to DR.
Christian Lorenzen, a council member for Det Konservative Folkeparti, said the budget is not catastrophic in any way. He said the parties agree on much of it, but that some sticking points were simply too large for him and the other four members to sign.
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The main dispute concerns a plan to bring the town hall, the health center and the emergency services together in a single building already owned by the municipality. Lorenzen described the outcome as deeply regrettable, saying it was a golden opportunity precisely because the municipality is not under pressure to save money.
The budget is due to receive final approval at the next Fanø City Council meeting in early October 2026. Until then, the agreement between the six supporting members stands as the basis for next year’s spending on the island, where the cost of living and public services have been a recurring local issue.
