City-wide

The Social Welfare Committee approved the Social Welfare Administration's opinion on the City Executive Board's proposed "Action Plan for a Gender-Equal Stockholm 2030." While largely positive, the administration emphasized the need to clarify the link between gender equality and men's violence against women, more consistently highlight the situation of persons with disabilities, and include more concrete outcome goals. The opposition parties (Liberals, Centre Party, Moderates, Sweden Democrats, and Christian Democrats) either reserved their positions or made special statements, deeming the plan insufficient and requiring revision with clearer goals, concrete measures, and a more pragmatic approach.

The Director of Social Affairs informed the Social Welfare Committee about several matters, including positive results from a Coping Power Program (CPP) pilot project, meetings with the Minister for Social Services regarding a lack of places at the National Board of Institutional Care (SiS), and preparations for Walpurgis Night and an exercise in Rålambshovsparken. The committee decided to file the information.

The Culture Committee responded to a letter from Isabel Smedberg-Palmqvist (L) and Kristina Lutz et al. (M) concerning Stockholm's democracy criteria for cultural activities. The Culture Administration concluded that current democracy conditions, working methods, and routines are functioning well and are proportionate. They emphasized adherence to Swedish law, the city's principles of democracy and human rights, and the ability to reclaim cultural grants if conditions are not met, noting that 3 million SEK annually was reclaimed between 2022-2026 for this reason.

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 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.