Behind the DO move is a political desire to strengthen vulnerable
parts of the city. “It is important to show that society’s institutions
can be found close to where people feel the most removed from society,”
wrote the Minister for Integration, Erik Ullenhag, in a comment
published in Dagens Nyheter on 10 June – the same day the move was made
public.
“Moving public bodies is not unique, but this is the first time we
have moved a public service to a vulnerable district and in that sense
it is unique,” Erik Ullenhag told the press.
He began by painting a general picture of the government’s
integration policy for areas with a low employment rate, high benefit
dependency and low levels of education, compared to other parts of the
city. Many businesses have left vulnerable districts and it is this
development the government now wants to turn by moving DO to Tensta or
Rinkeby.
Wide-ranging measures for vulnerable areas
Moving DO is one of several measures aimed at strengthening
vulnerable districts. Efforts will also be put into creating jobs,
strengthen education and lower benefit dependency. The government is
planning so-called new start zones with lower payroll tax for employers
who hire new people and a chance for workers to keep parts of their
benefits even when they start work. It also wants to reassess parental
allowances to avoid women becoming trapped at home. Special support
will also be given to ten schools. The government has set aside 200
million kronor (€23m) over two years to reward the fifteen vulnerable
districts that do best in terms of jobs, education and reduced benefit
dependency.
Apart from the signal sent by moving DO – showing a state presence
also in vulnerable areas – Erik Ullenhag says the move will also help
the growth of local infrastructure like lunch bars, which again will
create new jobs.
“DO’s move does not solve the challenges of an entire district, but
it is part of our desire to create positive development in the area,
and if you talk to people who live there they often say that many
businesses have moved out. That’s why moving a public service gives
hope for the future and and a feeling of belonging,” said Erik
Ullenhag.
A surprising decision
The reason why DO in particular were asked to plan and present the
consequences of a move by 31 October has to do with their rental
agreement in central Stockholm ending at the end of 2014, says Erik
Ullenhag. There is also a general desire to move public services from
the city centre in order to cut costs.
The decision came as a surprise for people working at DO, and many
of the 100 staff might have choked on their morning coffee when opening
the newspaper which carried the news of a move to Tensta. A
preliminary decision had been communicated to the ombudsman Agneta
Broberg and the heads of the trade unions, but it was shrouded in
secrecy. News of the decision did not reach the Union of Civil
Servants, says Anders Levin, head of the union chapter at DO.
“It’s a political decision and not something you can do much about,
but it is unfortunate that is comes now, just as we are about to get a
functioning organisation both externally and internally. The way in
which it was presented, in a comment piece in Dagens Nyheter, is not
ideal either. Many were literally caught unawares,” says Anders
Levin.
Increased pressure on administrators
DO was founded in 2009 after the merger of four ombudsman posts, and
now works to fight discrimination and to promote equal rights and
opportunities – mainly by making sure the law on discrimination is
being followed. DO, which now has offices in central Stockholm, had
been criticised for being inefficient since the beginning. The previous
ombudsman, Katri Linna, had to step down in 2011 and was followed by
today’s head, Agneta Broberg.
Anders Levin says the reactions reaching him were what could be
expected from such a quick decision. Those who know the Tensta/Rinkeby
districts are struggling to see where exactly the new offices could be
situated. Others say they want to be allowed to work efficiently
without having to deal with a move after all the criticism which has
been levied on the authority. It is still unclear how many staff will
agree to the move.
“All change is difficult if you are subjected to it all of the time.
You loose your footing and inner stability. Possibly adding another
hour to your daily commute can be tough. But it is a political decision
and we have to make the best of it,” says Anders Levin.
Lack of experience
So what is known about moving public services out to vulnerable
districts? Does it create hope for the future and increase people’s
sense of belonging? Nils Hertting at the Institute for Housing and
Urban Research at the Uppsala University has his doubts. He has spent
many years researching on attempts to mobilise people living in
vulnerable suburbs through various cooperation and dialogue projects,
but does not know of any research looking at what happens when a public
office moves out in this way.
“I can understand the political logic, the idea of bringing together
different parts of society, but we have no experience of what effects
such a measure might have. We have not seen anything like this before,”
says Nils Hertting.
There is no doubt something needs to be done for the most vulnerable
suburbs. That became clear during the riots a few weeks ago, which
spread from suburb to suburb. At the same time it is genuinely
difficult to find measures which either work politically or are based
on knowledge.
“Politicians sometimes are forced into implementing measures without
knowing whether they will work, and integration politics are often
experimental. It becomes a bit of a risk, but it is important that
the policy does not backfire in just this district and in this
integration policy context. Failure would be highly symbolic – that
public services in suburbs don’t work,” says Nils Hertting.
