All agenda items

Kulturnatten 2024 took place on April 20th, featuring over 800 activities at 170 locations across Stockholm. Additionally, the City Librarian reported delays in delivering reserved books due to elevator issues at the book storage facility in Frihamnen.

The Culture Committee decided to forward the Culture Department's statement to the City Executive Board in response to a motion by Jonas Naddebo (C). The motion proposed a model to protect cultural and entertainment activities from noise complaints from new residents, including an "agent of change" principle where the developer would be responsible for noise protection. However, the Culture Department stated that the right to complain cannot be contractually removed under the Environmental Code and that the proposals would require legislative changes that should be investigated by the Environment Committee. Despite rejecting the motion, the department emphasized its ongoing work to support cultural and nightlife, including a handbook for nightlife operators, and continued collaboration with other departments to address these challenges.

The Culture Committee approved the Culture Administration's proposal not to establish an additional platform for temporary art at Slussen, as two similar projects are already planned nearby. Instead, the Administration suggested the empty statue plinth at Slussen could be used for a permanent artwork, provided special funding is allocated. Niclas Peyron (L) dissented, wishing to approve the original motion for temporary art.

The Culture Committee issued a statement to the City Executive Board regarding a proposed transition to digital personnel records for the City of Stockholm. While positive about digitalization, the committee expressed doubts about the suggested eDok and LISA self-service system solution, believing more suitable systems existed and that the city's current systems were not optimal. They also requested clarifications on personal data responsibility, technical requirements, and authorizations, and proposed a unified archive for closed personnel files.

The Culture Committee approved a new program for events in Stockholm, forwarding it to the City Executive Board. This program aims to strengthen Stockholm's position as an event city, focusing on value creation, sustainable development, and quality of life for residents. Despite several reservations from parties criticizing the lack of industry input, unclear goals, and concrete measures, the original proposal was passed.

The Culture Committee decided to forward the Culture Administration's and City Archives' official statements to the City Executive Board as a response to a referral concerning the Action Plan for a Gender Equal Stockholm 2030. While supporting the plan's goals, the statements emphasized the importance of city-wide coordination. The Liberal and Moderate parties dissented, arguing the action plan has too many shortcomings, including unclear goals and insufficient handling of men's violence against women and honor-related violence and oppression, and should be reworked.

The Culture Committee decided to task the City Archives with procuring a new framework agreement for digitization services, such as scanning and indexing, valued at up to SEK 8 million. This agreement will allow the City Archives and other Stockholm city administrations and companies to digitize archival materials, making information more accessible to the public and future-proofing the preservation of city documents.

The Culture Committee has decided on the recipients of Stockholm City's Culture Awards for 2026. Awardees include Jockum Nordström (art), Madeleine Grive (literature), Hans Caldaras (music), Lena Endre (performing arts), and Dalija Aćin Thelander (cultural work for children and youth). Niklas Strömstedt received the Bellman Prize, and Charlotta Öfverholm was awarded the Cullberg Prize.

The Culture Committee decided to approve the administration's proposal for the recipients of Stockholm City's cultural scholarships and the award for this year's young cultural project in 2026. Twenty scholarship recipients, including Maria-Leena Sillanpää and Filippa Arrias, each received 40,000 SEK across various art forms. The 25,000 SEK award for this year's young cultural project went to "Gatan talar - Mellan raderna" by Nassir Sarr and Marx Mukaru.

The Culture Committee has approved the proposal to award the City of Stockholm's adult education scholarships for 2026. Eight individuals, nominated by various study associations, will each receive 10,000 SEK for their contributions to adult education in Stockholm over the past year. Among the scholarship recipients are Adolfo Celis (Sensus), Annika Fundin (ABF), and Maria Garriga (Folkuniversitetet).

The Culture Committee of the City of Stockholm granted 500,000 SEK in support to the Finnish Institute in Sweden for its library operations. This funding aims to promote and strengthen Finnish, Meänkieli, and Sami languages and cultures, particularly among Finland-Swedish children and youth in Stockholm. The library, serving as a key meeting place and collaborating with public libraries, will continue to offer Finnish-language literature and innovative activities.

The Culture Committee approved new guidelines for managing Stockholm's particularly valuable buildings, public spaces, and built-up areas. This temporary solution addresses changes in planning and building law, which reduce general permit requirements but increase them for these specific valuable environments, pending a new comprehensive plan and cultural-historical classification map by 2028. However, the Sweden Democrats expressed reservations, arguing that the guidelines are based on incomplete information and could create confusion and uncertainty for property owners.

The Stockholm City Culture Committee approved a proposal for a revised cultural strategy program, which will guide future cultural initiatives with four main goals: providing good conditions for cultural actors, making culture accessible in everyday life for all Stockholmers, contributing to attractive urban environments, and strengthening Stockholm's identity as a cultural city. The matter was forwarded to the City Executive Board for a final decision, though the Moderate Party and Sweden Democrats reserved their positions with counter-proposals.

The Culture Committee approved the City Archives' budget proposal for 2027, including plans for 2028 and 2029, and forwarded it to the City Executive Board. The City Archives intends to modernize its digital platforms, improve search interfaces, and explore using AI to make archive materials more accessible for both citizens and city employees.

The Culture Committee approved the Culture Administration's budget proposal for 2027-2029 and forwarded it to the City Executive Board. The proposal identifies three main challenges: the deteriorating economy and uneven geographical distribution of cultural life, unequal cultural participation, and the demands of digitalization. Strategies are proposed to strengthen cultural infrastructure, increase equitable access to culture, and develop digital cultural services, focusing on major projects like the City Library renovation and the establishment of the Medieval Museum. Liberals, Moderates, and Sweden Democrats reserved their opinions, presenting alternative proposals.

The Culture Committee acknowledged and filed the Culture Administration's and City Archives' monthly reports for March 2026. This means the committee reviewed the operational information for the month but made no further decisions.

The Culture Committee acknowledged and filed the minutes from the Council for Disability Issues meeting on March 10, which contained information regarding matters concerning persons with disabilities.

The Culture Committee took note of incoming correspondence. Emelie Wassermann (SD) stated that the City Audit's annual report for 2024 reveals serious shortcomings in internal governance and control, including over 4700 missing artworks and insufficient follow-up on cultural grants. The Sweden Democrats demanded stricter governance to ensure that taxpayer money is used responsibly and with transparency.

The department head provided an update on gymnastics facilities in Stockholm, to be addressed in an upcoming strategy, and on efforts to make school sports halls available to associations, with most now bookable during holidays. Discussions also covered camera surveillance at Älvsjö IP, where permanent installations are currently disallowed due to data privacy concerns, pending guidance from the Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection (IMY).

The Sports Committee approved the administration's response to a letter from Hanna Wistrand (L) regarding the renovation of Eggeby stable. The administration stated that the Property Management Office, not the Sports Committee, is responsible for the stable. Hanna Wistrand (L) expressed her disappointment, arguing that this division of responsibility leads to inaction and risks the stable's decay instead of its development into an important meeting place for children and youth in the Järva area.