Gotland is the smallest county in Sweden. With its 58,000 inhabitants it is more the size of a municipality. As a state authority the county administration is charged with acting as the government’s "local arm" in the county, i.e. ensuring that decisions made at a national level, by the government and parliament, are observed. Other important duties are to inform the government on local conditions in the county, run an efficient administration and coordinate different public interests.
The county administration on Gotland has slightly different functions compared with other county administrations. The forestry issues (National Board of Forestry) are also included in the County Administrative Board. The authority has about 150 employees, making the Gotland County Administrative Board one of the smallest.
The Gotland County Administrative Board is headed by the governor who, together with her deputy county director, is in charge of leading the county. The rest of the county administration consists of four departments and staff. In each department there are one or more county experts with special responsibility for different branches. Here follows a short description of the departments and their duties.
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
This department works with agrarian businesses on Gotland. In the field of agriculture handling the EU-support system is a major task, but as well as legal supervision the department also offers a comprehensive range of activities where advisory consultation and training are features that are highly popular in the field of forestry. Regarding fisheries the foremost task is to develop the fishery industry on Gotland.
Living Environment
As the name would suggest, this department deals with our living environment. Our main task is to care for and protect the rich natural and cultural environment on Gotland. The department is responsible for the following areas: nature conservation, cultural environmental care and environmental protection. Spatial planning and county veterinary authority are also part of the living environment department’s areas of responsibility.
Public Administration
The public administration department deals with issues concerning drivers’ licences and traffic, housing finance as well as social concerns (probation). The department is also responsible for the Diocese registry, general elections, and a number of other administrative matters (permits, examination and review, surveillance and issuance of directives).
Staff
The staff handles matters concerning internal services, civil preparedness and
emergency (SOS) service, information and the governor’s office.
Internal Services
Internal services handles the county administration’s economic and personnel administration, computer services, matters to do with premises, janitorial/printing, telephone exchange and cafeteria. Its duties also include preparation of the county administration’s operational plan, budget, annual financial report, semi-annual financial report and certain procurement issues.
Civil Preparedness and Emergency (SOS) Service
As the highest civil total defence authority in the county, the county administration works through this office, together with other authorities and organisations on Gotland (GotSam) to ensure good preparedness in the event of war and other catastrophes. The county administration also has a special responsibility in the event of a nuclear accident and supervises the municipal emergency service.
Secretariat and Information
The secretariat and information have the smallest functions within the county administration. The secretariat consists of the governor’s secretary and her official hostess. The county administration’s public relations officer is responsible for internal and external official information.
Further reading about County administration.