Langeland Municipality’s council has agreed a budget with sweeping welfare cuts after receiving less state support than it applied for.
Politicians in Langeland Municipality closed their budget after long negotiations over a large hole in the municipal finances, DR reports. The agreement includes fewer adults in school-based leisure programs, cleaning for elderly residents only every fourth week, and the closure of a care home.
The budget was squeezed further when the municipality received only 68 million kroner of the 115 million kroner it had applied for in special state funding. As a result, the council had to find savings of around 24 million kroner in 2027, and expects to find more than 44 million kroner in 2028.
Conservative mayor Jørgen Nielsen told DR that the municipality has saved on everything, and that the decisions were extremely hard. He said closing a care home hurts, because moving elderly citizens is what the politicians least wanted to do.
The care home in question is Stigtebo Plejecenter in Lohals, according to DR. TV 2 Fyn adds that older residents will generally receive cleaning assistance every fourth week, with more frequent help possible in particularly difficult cases.
All 15 council members backed the deal
The savings agreement was supported by all 15 members of Langeland’s municipal council, according to Fyens Stiftstidende. The newspaper reports that the package also includes changes affecting childcare and services for vulnerable residents.
Jyllands-Posten reports that the budget agreement attributes an estimated shortfall of 115 million kroner to the municipal equalization system. The paper notes that the 68 million kroner grant came from a state pool of 1 billion kroner shared by 22 municipalities.
On the street in Rudkøbing, the budget deal prompted concern when DR Nyheder met local resident Rigmor Karlshøj. She described the situation as terrible, saying there is soon nowhere left to save, and called further cuts a catastrophe.
Karlshøj said everything has to function, both in the area of children and services for the elderly. According to DR, the size of the savings on welfare came as a surprise to her.
Despite the cuts, Karlshøj said she is trying to stay optimistic and still considers Langeland a lovely island. On the finances, she said more support should come from outside the municipality.
Nielsen, borrowing a colleague’s words, told residents that the politicians have chosen the best of the bad solutions, DR reports. The budget covers the coming years, with the largest savings requirement falling in 2028.
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