Platform

Welfare

Fjarðalistinn wants to build up a fair community where the human rights of its inhabitants are respected, and assistance is offered when it’s needed. We want to respectfully support those who need assistance in participating in the community. We also believe that diversity is the strength of Fjarðabyggð and celebrate the multi-cultural growth of our community.

We want to:

  • Strengthen and establish Sprettur, with its goal for the quick intervention on children’s issues, with applicable support and solutions found locally.
  • Work towards creating a mobile Center for mental wellbeing.
  • Efficiently and openly welcome people from all over the world as well as those who seek refuge.
  • Increase accessibility of public buildings of the municipality for people with disabilities.
  • Continue winter and summer activities for children with disabilities.
  • Further emphasize personalized support for people with disabilities.
  • Offer good local medical facilities to make independent living easier for elderly and handicapped individuals.
  • Use online communication to facilitate active participation and independence of elderly citizens, as well as use welfare technology for improvement.
  • Follow strategies on elderly matters in communication with elderly citizens.
  • Support further health initiatives for elderly citizens with organized activities.
  • Support social activities for elderly citizens and reduce unwanted loneliness.
  • Create organized elderly daycare, as such services are already available in Breiðdalsvík.

    Equality

    We need to constantly work towards equality and cannot, as a community, lose track of efforts gained regarding equality. For example, there are more men than women in Fjarðabyggð, and women´s salaries are significantly lower than men’s salaries. This is an issue we all need to address, while not forgetting other marginalized groups that also struggle for equality.

    We want to:

    • Increase education on equality matters, both in education and with open meetings and seminars.

    • Have the diversity of our community at the forefront when job openings are advertised.

    • Work towards a plan to make restrooms and locker rooms unisex in public buildings in Fjarðabyggð.

    • Prioritize equality matters for the cultural and innovation committee, as well as within the town council, and guarantee ongoing discussion on equality within the business realms of the municipality.

    • Focus on equality in relation to job creation and innovation.

    • Guarantee that the current equality plans of Fjarðabyggð will be followed.

    • Guarantee accessibility of Icelandic lessons to all inhabitants of foreign backgrounds, free of charge.

    • Promote education for and prevention against prejudice and discrimination throughout the municipality.

    Employment and value creation

    Strong business environment is the foundation of welfare in Fjarðabyggð. Fjarðalistinn wants to support powerful businesses locally and create an environment that facilitates innovation. We also aim to guarantee enough and safe electricity for individuals and businesses.

    We want to:

    • Continue building up harbor facilities to support the strong fisheries and export industries.
    • Make Fjarðabyggð an attractive location for innovation and start-up companies, and support development and research on the strong local industry.
    • Initiate a search for a suitable location in all the towns in Fjarðabyggð for a remote work center.
    • Look into possibilities to increase the flexibility of remote work within Fjarðabyggð.
    • Support tourism in the East and increase cooperation, as well as create a basis for further groundwork and diversity within the field.
    • Lead the way in relation to culture, art, and innovation to diversify job opportunities.
    • Support universities, research, and innovation communities in the area, in relation to creating new workplaces and fields that can diversify the business life.
    • Work towards creating a green energy park.
    • Make Fjarðabyggð lead the way in the green energy transition.
    • Support sustainable food production and guarantee that negative environmental impact will be kept at a minimum.
    • Put further pressure on the construction of fiber-optic cables in urban spaces, which are the premises of progress and increase in employment. Connecting fiber-optic cables shall be finalized in rural areas on the south shore of Reyðarfjörður and on the north shore of Fáskrúðsfjörður.

    Housing, the environment, and infrastructure

    Increased construction of housing has rarely been as important as now. Sustainability will continue to play a big part of the long-term vision of Fjarðabyggð, and the environment will continue to factor in decision making.

    We want to:

    • Continue the good cooperation we’ve had with housing rental agencies Bríet and Brák, similar agencies and contractors regarding further construction of housing in Fjarðabyggð.
    • Maintain road maintenance fee discounts and offer payment distribution at the end of construction for individuals.
    • Guarantee a diverse offer of housing construction plots in Fjarðabyggð.
    • Simplify the search for available plots in Fjarðabyggð and streamline the plot allocation process.
    • Work towards increasing housing for elderly citizens, with an emphasis on increasing small- and medium-size apartments.
    • Develop infrastructure for a green energy park.
    • Continue to support free public transport within Fjarðabyggð.
    • Make a long-term plan regarding sewer drainage.
    • Develop alternative policies for waste management.
    • Limit waste and minimize the use of plastics.
    • Continue to introduce waste sorting to inhabitants, companies, and schools, free of charge, for increased environmental awareness. 
    • Make the municipality a role model and a leader in the use of environmentally friendly vehicles.
    • Work towards creating walking and bicycle paths in Fjarðabyggð.
    • Make a long-term plan for construction, repairs, and preemptive maintenance of buildings, roads, and utilities.
    • Follow the ambitious environmental and climate policies of Fjarðabyggð which were agreed upon in the last term.

    Education

    In the last years, technology has moved at a lightning speed and changed the community significantly, which has had an impact on the educational system. It’s important that the educational community in Fjarðabyggð develops according to the demands of society and will adapt in relation to new knowledge.  

    We want to:

    • Follow the educational and recreational plan that around 500 inhabitants of Fjarðabyggð worked on in the last term.
    • Develop an active educational society within schools, and recreational and social centers, where the focus is set on healthy and child-friendly societal activities with increased integration and cooperation between various school types.
    • Develop educational methods in line with technological advances and societal progress, with diverse, creative, and digital educational processes and environments.
    • Enrich students’ education with technology that meets their various different needs.
    • Promote and increase cross-sectional education, innovation, vocational, and artistic disciplines in the educational field with a focus on sustainability.
    • Strengthen support services of the school, with the service needs of the students at its core.
    • Increase cross-sectional knowledge with increased cooperation between schools, school levels, Austurbrú, and the universities.
    • Increase education within the school community, with a special focus on LGBTQ+ matters, i.e. LGBTQ+ organizations, to facilitate equality.
    • Strengthen prevention initiatives with increased equality, gender, and sex education in schools, where the focus is put on the diversity of the students, to create a safe environment within the schools.
    • Continue working against injustice, such as discrimination, prejudice, bullying, harassment, and violence in the school system.
    • Guarantee continued ambitious work in music schools and look for ways to strengthen the cooperation with other educational organizations.
    • Promote good access to musical education, and keep a special focus on children of international backgrounds.
    • Clarify the process of welcoming and educating children of international backgrounds. Look for ways to provide them with education in their native language and diverse support in Icelandic studies, i.e. with cooperation with Fjölmenningarhús.
    • Continue improvements and maintenance of school lawns and ensure accessibility for all.
    • Follow up on processes that strengthen the work that happens within kindergartens, and guarantee that Fjarðabyggð will continue to be on the frontline for families with children.

    Sports, culture, and recreation

    Fjarðalistinn emphasizes powerful sports and recreational activities, both for preventative measures and for a healthier and happier community. We want to lead the way when it comes to supporting culture, art, and innovation. Cultural activities are the heart of the community – they make life more fun, the community more diverse, and embody a great deal of value creation, both socially and economically.

    We want to:

    • Repair sports facilities in Fjarðabyggð according to an inspection of conditions.
    • Strengthen recreational activities for individuals that don’t enjoy standard sports.
    • Bicycle and hiking path between Eskifjörður and Reyðarfjörður.
    • Finish the design and infrastructure of walking and bicycle paths in Fjarðabyggð, especially where walking and bicycle paths are missing.
    • Finish repairs of Fjarðabyggðarhöllin.
    • Strengthen the cooperation between schools, youth associations, leisure centers, and social centers.
    • Fix Eskifjarðarvöllur so it fulfills requirements as a competition field – new lining and grass.
    • Encourage further cooperation between sports associations within Fjarðabyggð.
    • Continue to promote Menningarstofa Fjarðabyggðar.
    • Support innovation and art activities within the municipality.
    • Continue to support the work in the Sköpunarmiðstöð in Stöðvarfjörður.
    • Continue to develop public transport in relation to sports and recreational activities.
    • Increase the chances of young adults using the municipality’s housing for social activities.
    • Continue to promote professional activities of social centers and make repairs to the facilities in consultation with the youth council.
    • Review the opening hours of the museums of Fjarðabyggð in relation to tourism in Fjarðabyggð.
    • Work towards the ongoing expansion of Stríðsárasafnið, strengthen it and make it an acknowledged Wartime Museum of Iceland.

    Democracy and administration

    • Enable the democracy of the inhabitants, e.g., by prioritizing new implementation in more consultation with the inhabitants.

    • Review the distribution of income and division of duties between the state and municipalities.

    • Guarantee that information about municipality services and news are accessible.

      Along with the aforementioned statements, we will strive to:

      • Make the state carry on with sustainable infrastructure in relation to energy matters.

      • Work towards further improvement of transport, especially for Suðurfjarðavegur and Mjóifjörður.

      • Get the government to increase the number of nursing spaces in the municipality.

      • Move the planning authority of fjords and creeks to the municipalities.

      • Have construction of flood defenses continue in full force.

      • Empower the local government, by reviewing the distribution of income and division of duties between the state and the municipalities.