Helge André Njåstad
Helge André Njåstad | |
---|---|
Member of the Storting | |
Assumed office 1 October 2013 | |
Constituency | Hordaland |
Mayor of Austevoll | |
In office 12 November 2003 – 4 November 2013 | |
Preceded by | Olav P. Årland |
Succeeded by | Renate Møgster Klepsvik |
Personal details | |
Born | Bergen, Hordaland, Norway | 5 June 1980
Political party | Progress |
Children | 1 |
Alma mater | Bergen Cathedral School (1999) |
Helge André Njåstad (born 5 June 1980) is a Norwegian politician for the Progress Party. He has served as a member of the Storting for Hordaland since 2013. He also served as mayor of Austevoll from 2003 to 2013.
Education and private career
After finishing high school at Bergen Cathedral School in 1999, he started working in a local graphic design company in Austevoll[1] which he went on to lead.[2]
Local politics
Njåstad became a member of the Progress Party in 1997. Two years later, he was elected to the Austervoll
The municipality of about 4,800 inhabitants and a large fishing industry and much private wealth
Njåstad received credit for turning the local economy around during his 10 years of service.[7] and was voted municipality profile of the year for 2012 by Kommunal Rapport for his successful handling of the economy and having creating new optimism in Austervoll.[6][8]
In 2013, the municipality privatised all elderly care services. The municipality still has all financial responsibilities for the care but all institutions are run by the privately owned Swedish company Alaris. 170 employees were transferred from the public sector to Alaris. The privatisation had broad consensus in the municipality council, but the two Labour Party members voted against it and the unions protested, fearing that the privatisation will lead to reduced pensions and other working conditions for the caregivers. The municipality was the first and only in Norway to privatise all elderly care.[5]
Njåstad has been a member of Hordaland county council since 2003.[9][needs update]
National politics
At the party's congress in 2011, he was elected to the party's Executive Board. He got 200 of 219 votes cast, which was the highest number of the four candidates, of which three were elected.[9]
In the 2013 Norwegian parliamentary election, Njåstad was nominated in second spot on Hordaland Progress Party's ballot. The party got 15.1% of the votes in the election,[10] back 7.2% from the election in 2009. The party lost two seats, but the second seat to Njåstad was secured. In Austevoll, the Progress party got 25.5% which was back 8.8% from 2009.[11]
Njåstad was mentioned as a possible Minister for the fisheries in the Solberg's Cabinet by several newspapers.[12][13] In the parliament he was elected chair of the Standing Committee on Local Government and Public Administration in October 2013.[14]
On 14 March 2024, he was appointed chair of the Standing Committee on Justice following Per-Willy Amundsen's resignation due to controversial Facebook posts.[15]
Political positions
Njåstad has argued that Austevoll's full privatisation of the elderly care could be a model for the whole country. He believes the rights of welfare clients are better served when the municipality's sole responsibility is to assign welfare services and control the quality of it, as he thinks the control function suffers when both the controllers and those providing services are public employees and there may not be enough distance between them.[16]
He cites transportation and fisheries policies as main priorities.[2] He favours a liberalisation of the fishery policy, including perpetual fishing quotas in line with the system introduced by Conservative Minister of Fisheries Svein Ludvigsen but reversed by Labour minister Helga Pedersen.[17]
Like his party, Njåstad has voiced strong opposition to
He has cited Carl I. Hagen as his political inspiration.[19]
Personal life
Njåstad is in a cohabitation and has a son.[2] He has cited Bruce Springsteen and Ausekarane as musical favourites[19] and Frode Grytten as a favourite in literature.[20]
Controversy
In January 2019, NRK and consequently all major media outlet in Norway reported that Njåstad let several of his travel costs for personal arrangements but with minor job related pretext, including the 60th birthday party of his mother, be reimbursed by the Storting and from tax payers' pocket.[21] The deeds by Njåstad were called by media and the members of the public as 'unwise',[22] and 'maybe legal but very stupid'.[23] In light of fellow party member, Mazyar Keshvari, who was charged with gross fraud for another travel reimbursement controversy, Njåstad's case absorbed much attention in Norway. Some reevaluation of travel regulations for the Storting's representatives were also suggested.[24]
References
- ^ Njåstad svarar veljarane Archived 2014-08-18 at the Wayback Machine Sunnhordland.no. Retrieved 6 November 2013 (in Norwegian)
- ^ a b c Vidar Gudvangen (19 July 2013) Han vil chatte med deg frå Stortinget NRK. Retrieved 3 October 2013 (in Norwegian)
- ^ Norge IDAG. Retrieved 6 November 2013 (in Norwegian)
- ^ Krister Hoaas (16 September 2003) 23-åring blir Frp-ordfører i Austevoll Bergens Tidende. Retrieved 6 November 2013 (in Norwegian)
- ^ a b Sindre Øye Helgheim and Vidar Gudvangen (4 June 2013) Dette kan bli Frp sin nye skrytekommune NRK. Retrieved 6 November 2013 (in Norwegian)
- ^ a b c Jan Inge Krossli et al (29 November 2012) Profil 4 Kommunal Rapport. Retrieved 6 November 2013 (in Norwegian)
- ^ Dette er Hordalands-benken
Bergens Arbeiderblad. 10 September 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2013 (in Norwegian)
- ^ Jan Inge Krossli (8 January 2013) Njåstad ble Årets kommuneprofil Kommunal Rapport. Retrieved 6 November 2013 (in Norwegian)
- ^ a b Guro Valland (15 May 2011) Eg ser ting med lokale briller NRK. Retrieved 6 November 2013 (in Norwegian)
- ^ Hordaland, election result NRK. Retrieved 6 November 2013 (in Norwegian)
- ^ Jon Bolstad et al (11 September 2013) Høgre kapra Frp sine skrytekommunar NRK. Retrieved 6 November 2013 (in Norwegian)
- ^ Åge Algerøy and Jon Bolstad (1 October 2013) Seier ikkje nei til å bli minister NRK. Retrieved 6 November 2013 (in Norwegian)
- ^ Magnus Aamo Holte and Sølve Rydland (11 September 2013) Hete kandidater til statsråd-jobbene NRK. Retrieved 6 November 2013 (in Norwegian)
- TV2. Retrieved 6 November 2013 (in Norwegian)
- ^ "Helge André Njåstad er Per-Willy Amundsens etterfølger" (in Norwegian). Verdens Gang. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ Verdas beste eldreomsorg NRK. Retrieved 6 November 2013 (in Norwegian)
- ^ Anne Kari Hinna (6 September 2013) Tel ned til regjeringsskifte Klassekampen. Retrieved 6 November 2013 (in Norwegian)
- ^ Anne Marte Blindheim (26 August 2013) Frp-topp delte ut penger til velgere Dagbladet. Retrieved 6 November 2013 (in Norwegian)
- ^ a b Helge Andre Njåstad TV2. Retrieved 3 October 2013 (in Norwegian)
- ^ Helge Andre Njåstad Archived 2014-02-09 at the Wayback Machine Kommunal Rapport. Retrieved 6 November 2013 (in Norwegian)
- ^ Journalist, Eirik Husøy. "NRK: Frps stortingsrepresentant la møter til Geilo i påsken – lot Stortinget betale". Aftenposten (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ lederartikkel, Dagens. "Aftenposten mener: Njåstad har et påfallende reisemønster". Aftenposten (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ Søreide, Tina (9 January 2019). "Hvem kontrollerer politikerne ?". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- ^ Svaar, Peter (7 January 2019). "Revisortopp: Stortinget må rydde opp i reisereglene". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 10 January 2019.
External links
- "Helge André Njåstad" (in Norwegian). Storting.