Not all of Denmark’s 98 municipalities reap the rewards from the slush fund for the socially vulnerable, according to DR.
An investigation by national broadcaster found that it’s mostly the country’s largest and resourceful municipalities that benefited from the 111 million kroner handed out from 2011-2013. In fact, many smaller municipalities didn’t get anything at all.
“It takes a lot of time and resources, but also competencies, to even have a chance to apply for funds,” Kurt Houlberg, a researcher with the municipal research institute KORA, told DR Nyheder.
“For a small municipality, it will often be too time-consuming to launch an application given the odds of being awarded the funds.”
The difference between the municipalities become obvious when looking at funds awarded per capita.
Municipalities with populations over 70,000 were awarded over 27 kroner per citizen on average, while municipalities with populations under 30,000 received barely 11 kroner per citizen.
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15 received nothing
Odense, Aarhus and Aalborg municipalities were given the most in Denmark from 2011-2013, while 15 municipalities – including Glostrup, Rødovre, Ballerup and Frederiksberg – were given nothing.
The social vulnerable funds cover a broad spectrum of projects from better food at nursing homes to the homeless, refugees and socially-vulnerable children and adults.
According to the Social Ministry, it can take several weeks for the municipalities to make an application, and they must subsequently deliver progress reports and auditor-endorsed accounts of how the funds are being spent.
