People’s houses became homeless – Kiruna municipality is suing for 45 million

Folkets hus-förening has existed in Kiruna since 1901 and has had premises from the very beginning.

When the new People’s House was completed in 1986, according to the association, it must have been a collaborative project where the association was responsible for 35.2 percent of the total cost of SEK 127 million.

Claiming his millions

But when the deformations from the mine approached and the property was sold to LKAB, Kiruna municipality took all the money. All according to the lawsuit that was submitted to Gällivare district court this week.

Folkets hus-förening now demands its share, which would amount to SEK 44.8 million.

The background is that Folkets hus did not get any role when cinema and conference operations moved from Folkets hus to the new cultural center Aurora in new Kiruna. It is operated instead by a newly formed municipal company.

It was a process that was started under the social democratic municipal leadership before 2018 and was carried out during the centrist Gunnar Selberg’s time as municipal councillor.

He has admitted that Folkets hus-förening has been caught up in the process.

Folkets hus-förening is said to have been waiting for a proposal on how to be compensated, but no concrete offer is said to have come from Kiruna municipality.

sv-general-01