Among other things, the following matters were dealt with:
Review and updating of ports of national interest for professional fishermen
The Regional Board decides to hand over the opinion to the Maritime and Water Authority
The Norwegian Sea and Water Authority is carrying out a revision of designating ports of national interest for professional fishermen, where the authority proposes a reduction from 55 to 29 ports of national interest. For Gotland, this means that Ronehamn will remain as a fishing port of national interest. The other four, previously designated fishing ports (Visby, Slite, Herrvik, Vändburg) are removed as national interest (not to be confused with being a fishing port). The proposal was justified by the fact that the port should have an infrastructure that is necessary for the continued operation of commercial fishing, the number of vessels and total capacity that use the port as a home port.
The Technology Administration does not support the Maritime and Water Authority’s proposal, but believes that Herrvik’s port should also remain in the national interest. Herrvik’s harbor has no national importance, but is important for the regional commercial fishing on Gotland with five professional fishing vessels, a shipyard and a processing operation that takes care of the fish that comes into the harbor. They also assess that the harbor is important for the continued possibility of coastal fishing, and that special consideration needs to be given to the island location.
– Swedish commercial fishing has changed over the past decade, where an increasingly large share is made up of industrial fishing and less of coastal fishing. It’s a shame in many ways. For Gotland, it is important that we can retain professional fishermen who can contribute to the food supply and jobs, and then Herrvik’s harbor needs to be preserved so that fishing can continue to be important there. From a preparedness perspective and the island situation, it is also appropriate to have at least two ports classified as of national interest for commercial fishing, says Meit Fohlin, chairman of the regional board.
Request for direct instructions for construction crews in Slite
The Regional Board decides to approve the direct allocation of land for the property Othem Rakan 6. The regional director is tasked with drawing up a letter of intent regarding a land allocation to Slite Utveckling AB prior to the formation of a future construction company. The declaration of intent shall be valid for a period of two years from the decision being established.
Slite Utveckling AB has submitted a request for a direct reference for the property Othem Rakan 6 in Slite to create conditions for a construction team. The purpose of the request is to ensure that the land is reserved for further planning. The land is currently undeveloped and the detailed plan allows the construction of housing, among other things.
A construction community is a model for planning and implementing a housing project. The idea is that the people who will live in the house are the ones who own and manage the home themselves. The direction is to build an apartment building on two floors. The ground floor must be intended for mainly residents aged 55 and over. The upper floor is to be designed with more and smaller apartments intended for young people, as an option for those moving away from home for the first time.
– This is an interesting project where we can really make use of local initiatives and benefit housing construction in rural areas. The direction of building for 55+ and young people is new and will be exciting to follow. We have a goal that an average of 300 homes will be built per year across Gotland, this investment will be part of achieving the goal. With the decision, we also create an opportunity for actors who would find it difficult to compete for larger projects to contribute to the housing supply, says Meit Fohlin, chairman of the regional board.
Review of how the region works to ensure the supply of skills
The Regional Board decides to hand over the opinion to the region’s auditors.
The region’s auditors have carried out an audit aimed at reviewing whether the regional board and the committees have a useful working method for the supply of personnel and competence. The overall assessment is that the regional board and the committees mainly have an appropriate way of working with regard to personnel and competence provision. The auditors address some areas of development that the region will work on in 2024. These are to determine an annual review of competence supply plans, develop common templates for the administrations’ competence supply plans, follow up on activities and, in the event of a lack of target fulfillment, describe measures.
– Continuous work with the region’s supply of skills is very important in order to retain and recruit employees for all the region’s operations. The review report we have received shows that the region is doing a good job and the areas of development suggested by the auditors will be important parts to take forward in work with competence supply within Region Gotland, says Meit Fohlin, chairman of the regional board.
Abolition of late fees in libraries
The regional board decides to remove the public library’s fee for late return as of July 1, 2024
In the fall of 2022, the Libraries on Gotland conducted a survey through interviews with a number of selected groups who were seen not using the library’s services. The survey showed that the risk of receiving a late fee and ending up in debt constituted an obstacle to becoming a borrower at the library. The libraries’ work with late fees means that there are fewer resources for the libraries’ mission to promote reading, which is clearly emphasized in the Libraries Act. Abolishing the late fees affects the libraries’ finances in the form of a loss of revenue corresponding to approximately SEK 40,000 per year. This lost revenue is compensated by a reduced cost of working time for the administration with late fees.
– This is a fine example of how important dialogue is! The libraries’ important mission is to stimulate and promote reading for everyone, regardless of circumstances. The interviews showed that the financial threshold becomes an obstacle to borrowing books and more, especially for already vulnerable groups. After all, we want more people to be reached by the library’s offerings, and today we are removing an important obstacle. The decision is also in accordance with the regional development strategy’s writings on social sustainability and equality, says Meit Fohlin, chairman of the regional board.
Family Center
According to the motion, the Regional Board decides to investigate the conditions for a family center on Gotland.
Familjecentral has been well established in Sweden for many years and can be found in several of the country’s municipalities. Familjecentral is described as a health-promoting, preventive and supportive activity aimed at parents and children, but can also be a meeting place for everyone. A family center must at least include maternal health care, child health care, open preschool and social services with a focus on preventive work. Through collaboration between different businesses and professional groups, greater conditions are created so that support can be deployed early.
The regional board administration assesses that a renewed investigation is justified as organization and legislation have undergone changes in recent years. An important part of the family center investigation is to examine both the possibilities and obstacles to co-locating the activities to increase the possibility of early support, as well as looking at the financial conditions.
– We must do more for children and families who need support for various reasons. We know that our efforts to support children and families today do not reach everyone. Experience shows that when you gather skills in one place, we reach more people. Early coordinated interventions in environments that are safe and where everyone goes will play a decisive role so that more children also pass school, says Meit Fohlin, chairman of the regional board.
