Organisation, activities and services
The Norwegian political system is divided into three democratic levels: National (parliament/government,), regional (counties) and local (municipalities). A county municipality (fylkeskommune) is a public elected body with certain responsibilities regarding public administrative and service tasks within a Norwegian county.
The County Council (fylkesting) is the governing body of each county municipality, and typically consists of 30-50 members (Agder has 49 councilors). Members are distributed into standing committees and an executive board (fylkesutvalg). The Chairperson of the County Council (fylkesordfører) is the leader of both the council and the executive board.
Arne Thomassen (representing the conservative party) is the present Chairperson and County major. Elected for the period 2019-2023
The County Executive (fylkeskommunedirektør) is responsible for the administrative organisation consisting of different sections with responsibilities for various county-level activities and services.
Tine Sundtoft is the County Executive.
Not part of the County Council, but situated in each county on behalf of the Norwegian government, is the County Governor (statsforvalteren). He/she represents the Government in every county, serving as a supervising authority over the county and municipality administrations.
County-level activities and services
The County Council’s main responsibilities are:
- Education (e.g. upper secondary schools and vocational training)
- Health care and social services (e.g. dental clinics)
- Industrial/business development (e.g. travel/tourist industry)
- Regional planning (e.g. Regional Development plan Agder 2030
- Transport and communications (e.g. county roads)
- Cultural activities (e.g. including cultural and sporting arenas)
- Heritage (e.g. including archaeology and preservation of cultural heritage)
Agder regional council has the following leaders and departments:
Director of education: Arly Hauge
- Education and career guidance
- Vocational training and apprenticeship
- Admission and student services
- Pedagogic and psychological services
Director of communication and infrastructure: Ola Olsbu
- Strategy and mobility
- Buildings and property
- Operation and maintenance roads
- New developments roads
Director of public health: Vegard Nilsen
- Public health
- Public dental health and clinics
Director of economy and management: Lise Solgaard
- Organisational management and control
- Salary and accounting
- Purchase and procurement
- Budget and financial plan
- County council secretariat and political support
Director of innovation and organisational developments: Knut Lindland
- Document management and archive
- Legal support and information management
- Communication
- Human resources
Director of The Regional plan 2030: Anita Henriksen
- Sustainable development
- Cooperation (co-creation) and international collaboration
Director of analyses and plan 2030: Kenneth Andresen
Director of business, culture and cultural heritage: Kristin Tofte Andresen
- Business support and entrepreneurship
- Culture, sports, library and voluntary sector
- Cultural heritage and cultural tourism