Poor councils encroaching on Copenhagen

The border between progress and standstill is increasingly being defined as the city limits of Copenhagen.

After years in which it was assumed that the capital’s suburbs were better off than provincial councils that had lost their manufacturing base, it now turns out that many areas around the city are just as bad off.

Municipal data showed that the demographics of areas such as Copenhagen’s Vestegn area were similar to those in the region that has come to be known as ‘the rotten banana’, a swath of councils stretching from northern Jutland southward and eastward towards Copenhagen.

Erik Nielsen (S), the mayor of Rødovre Council, which is located in Vestegnen, said the practise that sees wealthier councils transfer some of their tax revenue to poorer councils was the only viable way to eliminate the gaps.

“These differences have historic roots, and we can’t just move people around,” he said. – Jyllands-Posten

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