Vats is a former municipality in Rogaland county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. Located in the traditional district of

Haugaland Haugaland or Haugalandet is a traditional district situated on the western coast of Norway. Haugaland is one of the 15 traditional districts located within the Vestlandet region. Geographically, Haugaland is a peninsula between Bømlafjorden in ...

, the municipality existed from 1891 until 1965. The municipality encompassed the land to the east and west surrounding the Vatsfjorden and the lake Vatsvatnet. Vats is typically divided into two parts Øvre Vats (around the lake in the north) and Nedre Vats (around the fjord in the south).

History

The municipality of Vats was established on 1 January 1891 when it was split off from the municipality of Skjold. Initially, Vats had 1,095 residents. On 1 January 1965, the municipality was dissolved due to recommendations of the

Schei Committee The Schei Committee ( no, Schei-komitéen) was a committee named by the Government of Norway to look into the organization of municipalities in Norway post-World War II. It convened in 1946, and its formal name was (The 1946 Committee on Municip ...

. The majority of Vats (population: 1,128) was merged with parts of

Imsland Imsland is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1923 until its dissolution in 1965. The municipality included the area surrounding the inner part of the Vindafjorden in the present-day municipalitie ...

, Skjold, and

Vikedal Vikedal or Vikadal is a village in Vindafjord municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located along the Sandeidfjorden, about south of the village of Sandeid and about northwest of the village of Imslandsjøen. Vikedal Ch ...

, as well as all of Sandeid to form the new municipality of

Vindafjord Vindafjord is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Haugaland. Since 2005, the administrative centre of the municipality has been the village of Ølensjøen (prior to that time it was the village o ...

. On the same day, the Breidal and Stølsvik farms on the south side of the Yrkefjorden (population: 16) became a part of

Tysvær Tysvær is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the Haugalandet region. The municipality is located on the Haugalandet peninsula on the northern side of the Boknafjorden, just east of the towns of Kopervik and Haugesund. Th ...

municipality.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Vats, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services,

senior citizen Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usage ...

services,

unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the refere ...

and other social services,

zoning Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...

economic development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and ...

, and municipal

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

s. The municipality is governed by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...

representatives, which in turn elects a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

Municipal council

The

of Vats was made up of 15 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often featur ...

breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:

References

{{use dmy dates, date=July 2020 Vindafjord Former municipalities of Norway 1891 establishments in Norway 1965 disestablishments in Norway