In the 2022 election, C lost voters in rural areas. A post-election analysis showed that the party needs to broaden its rural policy and not focus so much on traditional agricultural issues.
We should have focused more on the core of welfare, says Christofer Bergenblock, who led the working group that is now presenting a number of proposals.
Several of them aim to strengthen healthcare, schools, and care. Because despite the municipal tax often being higher in rural areas, the service is worse.
Among other things, it is proposed that the distribution from state-owned companies that utilize natural resources, such as Sveaskog and LKAB, should benefit rural areas. This is about 8-10 billion kronor per year, according to C.
Other proposals include abolishing targeted government grants, which small municipalities often have too few resources to apply for, investing in a skills upgrade, and converting the government's return migration initiative into a recruitment grant for rural areas.
