Vestfold County Municipality ( no, Vestfold fylkeskommune) is the regional governing administration of
Vestfold
Vestfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in Eastern Norway. In 2020 the county became part of the much larger county of Vestfold og Telemark. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it bordered t ...
county in
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 ...
, after the county was re-established in 2024. The county municipality was earlier established on 1 January 1976 when the law was changed to allow elected county councils in Norway. The county municipality was dissolved on 1 January 2020, when Vestfold was merged with the neighboring
Telemark
Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...
county, creating the new
Vestfold og Telemark
Vestfold og Telemark (; ) is a county under disestablishment in Norway. The county is the southernmost one of Eastern Norway and consists of two distinct and separate traditional regions: the former counties of Telemark and (most of) Vestfold ...
county which was led by the
Vestfold og Telemark County Municipality. The administrative seat is located in
Tønsberg
Tønsberg , historically Tunsberg, is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, eastern Norway, located around south-southwest of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near its mouth onto the Skagerrak. The administrative c ...
and the county mayor is
Anne Strømøy of the
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
and the chief administrative officer for the county municipality is Toril Eeg.
The main responsibilities of the county municipality includes the governing of ten
upper secondary schools with about 8,500 pupils in addition to
Skiringssal Folk High School. It manages all the county roadways,
public transport
Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typi ...
,
dental care,
culture
Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...
, and
cultural heritage sites in the county. Public transport is managed through
Vestfold Kollektivtrafikk.
County government
The Vestfold
county council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.
Ireland
The county councils created under British rule in 1899 continue to exist in Irel ...
( no, Fylkestinget) is made up of 39 representatives that are elected every four years. The council essentially acts as a
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
or legislative body for the county and it meets several times each year. The council is divided into standing committees and an executive board () which meet considerably more often. Both the council and executive board are led by the County Mayor () who holds the executive powers of the county.
County mayors
*1964-1971:
Torgeir Andersen
Torgeir Andersen (born 16 February 1916 in Nøtterøy, died 5 February 1991) was a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party.
He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Vestfold in 1969, and was re-elected on one occasion.
On the loca ...
(
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
)
*1972-1975:
Harald Thaulow (
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
)
*1976-1991:
Sverre Nordby (
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
)
*1992-2003:
Ellen Gjerpe Hansen (
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
)
*2003-2005:
Anne Rygh Pedersen
Anne Rygh Pedersen (born 28 June 1967 in Larvik) is a Norwegian politician. She is a member of the Labour Party.
She served in the position of deputy representative to the Norwegian Parliament from Vestfold during the term 2001–2005. Rygh ...
(
Labour Party)
*2005-2007:
Tove Lisbeth Vasvik (
Labour Party)
*2007-2014:
Per-Eivind Johansen (
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
)
*2015-2019:
Rune Hogsnes (
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
)
* 2023- : Anne Strømøy (
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
)
County council
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 council is as follows:
References
{{use dmy dates, date=February 2022
County municipality
County municipality is a designation for an administrative territorial entity in Norway and in Canada.
See also
*County
*Municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-gov ...
Organisations based in Tønsberg
County municipalities of Norway
1838 establishments in Norway
2020 disestablishments in Norway