Södermöre Ward in Kalmar

I have the feeling that we have created new and better relations between the inhabitants and the politicians/administration in our part of the City. We can also see that this has contributed to better relations between different sectors in the area, better efficiency in the administration, and to a higher degree of well-being among the employees, says Stig Sjödin, head of Södermöre Ward Administration.

During the last three years the southern part of Kalmar, a rural area with about 7.000 inhabitants, has worked independently with responsibility for children and youth care, elderly people care, culture and leisure time activities. The aim behind creation of the ward was to strengthen democracy, vitalize the politics and create possibilities for a more efficient organisation with high quality.

We have in different ways tried to activate the inhabitants in the development. Examples of this are preparation groups, citizen panels and focus groups with special themes. We have also started with open board meetings and regular meetings with different village communities. This has created a new atmosphere of collaboration and a common identity in the area. Our work with the cultural workers has also strengthened this identity. One example is the big event "the cultural scoop" (KulturÖset) where cultural workers, both professionals and amateurs, present the culture in the area. About 5.000 people took part in the last event in the beginning of September, says a proud Stig Sjödin.

The main thing for this democracy project is to create new meeting places for the inhabitants and present different ways for the inhabitants to participate in the development of the area. But still, the administration and board is responsible for running and efficient administration.

Statistics from different survey investigations made by the municipality show that the personnel employed by the ward is more satisfied and less sick if compared with the municipality as a whole. The ward is also one of few administrations inside the municipality that is expecting to deliver a surplus to the municipality budget in the end of this year. The results after the first three years are so impressive that the city council has decided to prolong the project for the next four years.