The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development (, KDD) is a Norwegian ministry established in 1948. It is responsible for

housing Housing refers to a property containing one or more Shelter (building), shelter as a living space. Housing spaces are inhabited either by individuals or a collective group of people. Housing is also referred to as a human need and right to ...

and building, regional and rural policy,

municipal A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the gov ...

and

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

administration and finances, and the conduct of

election An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative d ...

s. It is headed by the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development. During the Solberg government, the ministry was called the Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation. This was created by merging the ongoing ministry with the

Ministry of Government Administration, Reform and Church Affairs The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Government Administration, Reform and Church Affairs (, FAD) was a Norwegian ministry. It was established as the Ministry of Modernisation on 1 January 2005, succeeding the portfolio of the Ministry of Labour and ...

and the planning department in the Ministry of the Environment. The ministry adopted its current name on 1 January 2022.

Name history

The ministry has changed its nomenclature frequently since 1948. Some of it indicateds the portfolio of the

Ministry of Labour A ministry of labour ('' UK''), or labor ('' US''), also known as a department of labour, or labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, training, and s ...

, which has since separated. * 20 December 1948–31 December 1989: Ministry of Local Government and Labour * 1 January 1990–31 December 1992: Ministry of Local Government * 1 January 1993–31 December 1997: Ministry of Local Government and Labour * 1 January 1998–31 December 2013: Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development * 1 January 2014–31 December 2021: Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation * 1 January 2022–: Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development

Organisation

The ministry has 190 employees and is divided into five departments: * The Department of Local Government * The Department of Regional Development * The Department of Housing and Building

Political staff

As of 30 June 2023, the political staff of the ministry is as follows: * Minister

Sigbjørn Gjelsvik Sigbjørn Gjelsvik (born 30 March 1974) is a Norwegian politician for the Centre Party. He was elected to Parliament in 2017. He also served as minister of local government from 2022 to 2023. Personal life and education Gjeslvik was born in N ...

( Centre Party) * State Secretary Nancy Charlotte Porsanger Anti (Centre Party) * State Secretary

Gunn Karin Gjul Gunn Karin Gjul (born 26 July 1967, in Stavanger) is a Norwegian jurist and politician for the Norwegian Labour Party, Labour Party. She was elected to the Stortinget, Norwegian Parliament from Sør-Trøndelag (Storting constituency), Sør-Trønd ...

( Labour Party) * State Secretary Ole Gustav Narud (Centre Party) * State Secretary Sigrun Wiggen Prestbakmo (Centre Party) * Political Adviser Ingrid Nikoline Sand (Centre Party)

Subsidiaries

Norwegian Mapping Authority The Norwegian Mapping Authority (NMA) () is Norway's national mapping agency, dealing with land surveying, geodesy Geodesy or geodetics is the science of measuring and representing the Figure of the Earth, geometry, Gravity of Earth, gravity ...

, or ''Kartverket'', dealing with land surveying. *

Norwegian State Housing Bank The Norwegian State Housing Bank () is a Norwegian Government agency responsible for the housing politics in Norway. The main tool for the bank is mortgages in newly constructed houses. About half of all houses after World War II in Norway have b ...

, or ''Husbanken'', issues loans for housing. *

National Office of Building Technology and Administration The Norwegian Building Authority () is a Norwegian government agency responsible for managing laws and rules related to building and construction, authorises rules related to documentation of construction materials and their properties, as well ...

, or ''Statens bygningstekniske etat'', expertise within building technology.

Ministers

Ulrik Olsen Johan Ulrik Olsen (2 August 1885 – 4 October 1963) was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. He was born in Hitteren as a son of farmer Peder Olsen (1847–1933) og Dorothea Hesnes (1848–1931). He became a journeyman carpenter in 18 ...

, 1948–1958 *

Andreas Zeier Cappelen Andreas Zeier Cappelen (31 January 1915 – 2 September 2008) was a Norwegian jurist and politician for the Labour Party. He was born in Vang, Hedmark. He held a variety of positions in different Norwegian cabinets. He was Minister of Local Go ...

, 1958–1963 *

Oskar Skogly Oskar Skogly (4 February 1908 – 16 February 1988) was a Norwegian trade unionist and politician for the Labour Party. He is known as Minister of Local Government, mayor of Fåberg and three-term member of the Parliament of Norway. Career He w ...

, 1963 *

Bjarne Lyngstad Bjarne Lyngstad (9 January 1901 – 4 September 1971) was a Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party. He was born in Inderøy Municipality. From August to September 1963 he served as the Minister of Local Government and Work Affairs during ...

, 1963 *

Jens Haugland Jens Haugland (16 April 1910 – 2 May 1991) was a Norwegian jurist and politician for the Labour Party. Haugland was born at Bjelland in Vest-Agder, Norway. He studied law at the University of Oslo and graduated as cand.jur. in 1936. He work ...

, 1963–1965 *

Helge Seip Helge Lunde Seip (5 March 1919 – 29 January 2004) was a Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party and later the Liberal People's Party. He was born in Surnadal Municipality. At a young age he became involved in the Young Liberals, the youth ...

, 1965–1970 *

Helge Rognlien Helge Rognlien (14 January 1920 – 15 July 2001) was a Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party. He was born in Oslo. At the outbreak of World War II, Rognlien was a student at the University of Oslo. After the German occupation of Norway ...

, 1970-1971 *

Odvar Nordli Odvar Nordli (; 3 November 1926 – 9 January 2018) was a Norway, Norwegian politician from the Det norske Arbeiderparti, Labour Party. He was the prime minister of Norway from 1976 to 1981 during the Cold War. Before serving as prime minister, No ...

, 1971–1972 * Johan Skipnes, 1972–1973 * Leif Jørgen Aune, 1973–1978 *

Arne Nilsen Arne Nilsen (21 January 1924 – 16 April 2020) was a Norwegian politician for the Norwegian Labour Party, Labour Party. He was Minister of Local Government and Regional Development (Norway), Minister of Local Government from 1978 to 1979, as well ...

, 1978–1979 * Inger Louise Valle, 1979–1980 * Harriet Andreassen, 1980–1981 *

Arne Rettedal Arne Rettedal (25 July 1926 – 28 December 2001) was a Norwegian engineer, businessperson and politician for the Conservative Party. He is best known as the Minister of Local Government and Labour from 1981 to 1986, mayor of Stavanger from 196 ...

, 1981–1986 *

Leif Haraldseth Leif Haraldseth (30 November 1929 – 8 April 2019) was a Norwegian trade unionist and politician for the Labour Party. Early life Leif Haraldseth was born in Drammen as a son of worker Hans Haraldseth (1905–1977) and housewife Ingrid (1907� ...

, 1986–1987 * William Engseth, 1987–1988 *

Kjell Borgen Kjell Borgen (21 October 1939 – 22 August 1996) was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. He served as Minister of Transport and Communications from 1986 to 1988, Minister of Local Government from 1988 to 1989 and again from 1990 to 1 ...

, 1988–1989 * Johan J. Jakobsen, 1989–1990 * Kjell Borgen, 1990–1992 *

Gunnar Berge Gunnar Berge (born 29 August 1940) is a Norway, Norwegian politician for the Norwegian Labour Party, Labour Party, born in Etne, Hordaland. Berge represented Rogaland in the Stortinget, Norwegian Parliament from 1969 to 1993. He was Minister of Fi ...

, 1992–1996 *

Kjell Opseth Kjell Olav Opseth (2 January 1936 – 3 December 2017) was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. He was Minister of Transport and Communications 1990–1996 and Minister of Local Government Affairs 1996–1997. As Transport Minister, he ...

, 1996–1997 * Ragnhild Haarstad, 1997–1999 *

Odd Roger Enoksen Odd Roger Enoksen (born 25 September 1954 in Å, Andøy) is a Norway, Norwegian politician representing the Norwegian Centre Party (Norway), Centre Party. He served as minister of defence from 2021 to 2022. He was also leader of the Centre Party f ...

, 1999–2000 *

Sylvia Brustad Sylvia Brustad (born 19 December 1966, in Elverum) is a former Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. Education Brustad graduated from high school in 1983, and attended the media courses at the folk high school in Ringsaker Municipality unt ...

, 2000–2001 *

Erna Solberg Erna Solberg (; born 24 February 1961) is a Norwegian politician and the current Leader of the Opposition. She served as the prime minister of Norway from 2013 to 2021, and has been the leader of the Conservative Party of Norway, Conservative Part ...

, 2001–2005 *

Åslaug Haga Åslaug Marie Haga (born 21 October 1959) is a Norwegian diplomat, politician and international civil servant. She has been board chair for various organizations, including the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) and the Peace Resea ...

, 2005–2007 *

Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa Magnhild Meltveit Kleppa (born 12 November 1948 in Fister, Norway) is a Norwegian politician for the Centre Party. Kleppa is educated as a teacher at Kristiansand Teacher Training College in 1970. She worked as a teacher from 1967 to 1992. S ...

, 2007–2009 *

Liv Signe Navarsete Liv Signe Navarsete (born 23 October 1958 in Sogndal Municipality) is a Norwegian politician from the Centre Party. She has served as county governor of Vestland county since 2022. She previously served as Minister of Local Government from 2009 ...

, 2009–2013 *

Jan Tore Sanner Jan Tore Sanner (born 6 May 1965) is a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party who has held several ministerial positions in Erna Solberg's government between 2013 and 2021. He was also the party's deputy leader from 2004 to 2022, having ...

, 2013–2018 *

Monica Mæland Monica Mæland (born 6 February 1968) is a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party who served as Minister of Justice from 2020 to 2021. Previously she served as Minister Local Government from 2018 to 2020, and Minister of Trade and Ind ...

, 2018–2020 *

Nikolai Astrup Nikolai Astrup () (30 August 1880 – 21 January 1928) was a Norwegian modernist painter. Astrup was a distinctive, innovative artist noted principally for his intense use of color depicting the lush landscapes of Vestlandet featuring the trad ...

, 2020–2021 *

Bjørn Arild Gram Bjørn Arild Gram (born 7 May 1972 in Steinkjer) is a Norwegian politician who has served as the first deputy leader of the Centre Party since 2025 and previously the minister of defence from 2022 to 2025. A member of the Centre Party, he also ...

, 2021–2022 *

, 2022–

References

External links

Official web site
{{authority control Local Government and Regional Development

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

1948 establishments in Norway Norway, Local Government and Regional Development