Karlstad should be for everyone. Homes, parks and street environments must have high accessibility and good opportunities for socializing. We want to see diversity among both housing and design of buildings and environments. Karlstad shall be characterized by security and sustainability. Cycling, walking and public transport should be given greater priority.

In Karlstad, both city and country will live, develop and be taken care of. Karlstad is a large municipality and Värmland’s largest city, which means that we have a vibrant city life, as well as a vibrant countryside. Therefore, urban and rural areas need mixed buildings with different types of tenure forms, sizes and types of housing.

Karlstad municipality, like so many other Swedish municipalities, suffers from a housing shortage. Despite the fact that Karlstad municipality has built a lot of new housing in recent years, we can now see that it has been the wrong type of housing. Those who are in the municipality’s long housing queues are young people in search of their first home, single parents, elderly people with a need for a low housing cost that corresponds to low pensions, and people who, for various reasons, do not have a secure income. What has been built are exclusive high-rise buildings with a waterfront location in central Karlstad. The result will be a stagnant queue and empty luxury apartments.

Vänsterpartiet in Karlstad will work to ensure that it is built sustainably, long-term and for those who are in line. It should be built apartments of good quality, but not equipped with unnecessary additional surcharges that drive up the rent. Apartments will be built that allow our young people to move away from home when they wish. Older people should be able to live with greater security without ending their pension on housing costs. New Swedish citizens should be able to live in a comfortable way where the whole family can fit and the rent can be paid. Housing is a human right.

As part of this vision, Vänsterpartiet wants to use our municipal housing company, Karlstads Bostads AB (KBAB). The municipality’s housing company has a public benefit purpose, this means that the company must first and foremost provide our municipality’s residents with housing. They will offer rental apartments of varying size, location and with amenities based on the tenant’s needs. For Vänsterpartiet in Karlstad, the public benefit purpose stands higher than the requirement for business acumen. KBAB will be used to make Karlstad municipality a municipality for everyone, where everyone can be confident in having a well-functioning, affordable and stable housing situation.

Vänsterpartiet is fundamentally critical of the value transfers that currently take place from Karlstads Bostads AB, to other companies in the municipality and to the municipality’s other operations. Vänsterpartiet does not believe that value transfers should take place regularly.
Every year, the municipality makes a profit withdrawal of approximately SEK 25 million from KBAB. Vänsterpartiet in Karlstad wants these primarily money to be spent on the renovation of housing, the construction of new affordable housing and a proper investment in the residential areas’ outdoor environments in KBAB’s own portfolio. Vänsterpartiet wants to see clearer ownership control when it comes to value transfers, and that the purposes for which the money goes should be decided in the city council. If value transfers are to be made at all, it should be for clear purposes and clear stated purposes to increase social security in our municipality. When it comes to value transfers from other companies, Vänsterpartiet thinks that investments in leisure for children and young people and climate investments should be prioritized in the first place. In addition, Vänsterpartiet believes that value transfers should not go to climate-damaging activities, such as the airport.

We want to:

• to ensure that construction takes place sustainably and long-term, both for climate and integration
• use the municipal planning monopoly to build what is important to the municipality’s residents, not outside developers
• ensure building housing suitable for citizens who have a weak economy
• use the municipal housing company to ensure housing for everyone and build away the housing queue.
• prevent regular transfers from municipal companies to the municipality and if money is to be transferred, it should go to social purposes that benefit children and young people or to climate investments

1. Introduction
2. You should be able to rely on welfare
3. Focus on quality for employees and citizens
4. We are all citizens of Karlstad
5. A climate-smart municipality
6. School – the most important thing we have to secure our future
7. Health and social care – a municipality that takes care of everyone
8. A municipality where everyone can fit
9. Public transport for mobility and climate
10. Karlstad city centre – a place to gather
11. Culture and leisure that benefits everyone
12. Conclusion

Uppdaterades: 06 aug 2022