City-wide

The Ministry of Justice has issued proposals for reforming Sweden's ballot system. The Stockholm Election Board has commented on these proposals. They suggest, among other things, abolishing party ballots without candidate names and giving the Election Authority sole responsibility for distributing ballots to polling stations. The proposal also introduces new requirements for parties to participate with candidate ballots, such as collecting support declarations from voters. The Election Board supports the proposals to implement requirements for parties to participate with candidate ballots and for a candidate to only stand for election to council in one region and one municipality.

The Election Board proposes its budget for 2027, with plans for 2028 and 2029, to the Municipal Board. Preparations for the 2029 European Parliament elections and the 2030 parliamentary elections involve introducing digital ballot papers and digital voter registers, as well as the municipality taking over responsibility for ballots. This will lead to increased costs for data systems, storage facilities, and staff, among other things, to ensure high security and accessibility for all voters in Stockholm.

The Preschool Administration has developed new guidelines for how Stockholm's preschools should assess and provide special support to children, aiming for equitable support regardless of the preschool. These guidelines outline a common process for identifying needs, planning measures, and applying for additional financial support when needs are extensive.

The City Council has approved new guidelines for applying for and securing a spot in preschool and pedagogical care, effective July 1, 2026. Consequently, existing agreements with 115 independent preschools and 13 pedagogical care providers will be terminated, with new agreements to be established to regulate queue management according to the updated guidelines.

The Preschool Committee proposes approving a new framework for pedagogical development time (PUT) for preschool teachers in Stockholm. This framework grants all full-time preschool teachers at least 5 hours per week for planning, analyzing, and developing their teaching. The aim is to ensure high quality in preschools and provide teachers sufficient time for their instructional responsibilities, while also considering local conditions and group sizes.

The Preschool Committee has reviewed its financial report for February 2026. The forecast indicates that the committee's budget is balanced, meaning expenditures are not expected to exceed revenues. This assessment is based on current outcomes and discussions with relevant departments regarding any budget deviations.

Sophia Granswed Baat (M) and other politicians inquired with the Preschool Committee about the supervision of independent preschools in Stockholm, specifically regarding the number of supervisory cases in 2025, selection criteria, frequency, actions taken for deficiencies, and safety/quality assurance in municipal preschools. The Preschool Administration reported 87 supervisory cases in 2025, with supervision now risk-based and typically occurring every five years, or more often if needed; deficiencies can lead to enforcement orders or license revocation. For municipal preschools, district councils are responsible for quality and safety, and new child safety guidelines are expected in 2026.

The City of Stockholm has approved new regulations for childcare during non-standard work hours, effective August 17, 2026. These changes include extended operating hours from 5:30 PM to 7:30 AM, a stronger child-focused approach, and the removal of private providers from offering this service. Stricter requirements for in-home childcare will also be implemented.

This matter concerns reporting minutes from the Preschool Committee's management group on March 23, 2026, and the joint council for disability issues of the Education Committee, Preschool Committee, and SISAB on March 18, 2026. The focus is on ensuring preschool teachers have sufficient time for lesson planning and follow-up, discussing working methods and facility utilization in preschools, and measures to enhance school environment accessibility, particularly for individuals with disabilities.

This matter concerns approving reports for S:t Erik Försäkring, a company owned by Stockholm Stadshus AB responsible for the city's and related companies' insurance and risk management. The reports indicate a strong financial position for the company, with a significantly increased solvency ratio. S:t Erik Försäkring also actively works to prevent damages, optimize insurance solutions, and contribute to the city's environmental and climate plans, including analyzing climate-related risks and digitizing its operations.

Local politician Jan Jönsson (L) has inquired about the shortage of trained sheet metal workers in Stockholm and suggested the municipality should take more responsibility for training in professions facing shortages. The Education Department responded that while there are available spots in regional sheet metal worker training programs, too few young people are applying. Since Stockholm's construction technical high school closed in 2019, the city no longer runs its own construction and civil engineering programs and therefore cannot expand this offering. However, the department is working on generally increasing interest in vocational programs.

Liberal party member Jan Jönsson has asked the Education Committee about improving vocational education and increasing workplace learning opportunities for students. The administration agrees on the importance of making vocational programs more attractive and providing better guidance. They will pilot a new model called SAO jobs, replacing traditional internships for eighth-graders in certain Stockholm focus areas, and will not implement a Danish model or start other pilot projects until the SAO jobs have been evaluated.

The Municipal Board has issued a proposed action plan to strengthen children's rights and influence in Stockholm until 2030, as part of the city's broader human rights program aimed at combating discrimination and promoting equal living conditions for all children under 18. While the Education Administration welcomes the initiative, they believe the plan has too many goals, which could lead to unfocused work and difficulty in follow-up, and therefore suggest reducing the number of goals for clearer results.

The Stockholm Education Committee presents its financial forecast for February 2026. The forecast indicates that the committee as a whole is expected to remain within its budget due to a reduction in school reserves. However, many primary and secondary schools are facing deficits totaling 64 million kronor and are implementing action plans to balance their finances, partly attributed to declining student enrollment.

The Education Administration has provided feedback on a revised agreement for the Upper Secondary School Admissions in Stockholm County. This agreement, managed by Storsthlm, clarifies working methods and the division of responsibilities among municipalities, including the transfer of ownership of the admissions system "Indra" to Inera AB in July 2026, requiring each municipality to sign its own access agreement while Storsthlm continues administration. Additionally, the administration has approved a revised agreement for cost responsibility for aids in preschool and school between Region Stockholm and the municipalities, clarifying that schools will cover basic and pedagogical aids while the region covers individually prescribed aids, ensuring necessary support for children and young people.

Stockholm is revising its guidelines for out-of-hours childcare, effective August 17, 2026. These changes include extended operating hours from 5:30 PM to 7:30 AM, and a stricter approach to in-home care to prioritize safer environments in dedicated facilities. Additionally, a clearer child perspective with guidance for children needing extra support will be emphasized, and private providers will no longer offer this service as the municipality believes its own operations can meet the demand.

Svenska Bostäder has adopted new guidelines for urban development, focusing on reducing hazardous chemicals, improving the business environment, and designing preschool and school grounds for optimal children's play. The decisions also include a plan for housing supply and guidelines for mobility and parking in new developments to encourage sustainable travel.

Svenska Bostäder's board has approved responses to three action plans affecting Stockholm's residents. They are positive about an action plan for an age-friendly city but consider the section on homelessness unnecessarily detailed. They also welcome an action plan strengthening children's rights and influence in the city and want to see more competence-building training in children's rights. Finally, they propose that Boverket, for new and renovated construction, focus on sharing charging infrastructure for electric cars instead of installing individual charging points, which would reduce costs for the city's housing companies by approximately 500 million SEK.

Svenska Bostäder will appoint Monica Häger, or Matilda Malmquist Glas in her absence, as its representative at general meetings for several subsidiaries until 2027. This representative will be tasked with voting in accordance with the auditors' proposals concerning profit and loss statements, balance sheets, profit distribution, and the board's discharge from liability. Furthermore, the representative will vote on the remuneration for board members, lay auditors, and deputies according to the city's regulations, which for 2026 include an increase in annual fees due to a revised price base amount.

AB Svenska Bostäder has submitted its financial monthly report for January 2026. The company's loans decreased by 24 million SEK, totaling 12,234 million SEK, with an interest rate of 2.57%. This indicates that Svenska Bostäder, which builds and manages housing in Stockholm, has good financial control and borrows on favorable terms through the municipality.