The City Government

As the first city in Norway, Oslo introduced a parliamentary management model in 1986. Parliamentary management entails that a City Government is responsible vis-à-vis the City Council, in the same way as the National Government is responsible vis-à-vis the Parliament.

The City Government consists of eight members – the commissioners. The City Government heads the City’s administration, makes recommendations to the City Council and is responsible for carrying out decisions made by the City Council. When the decisions are made in the City Council, it is the responsibility of the City Government to ensure that they are implemented.

Each Commissioner is the political head of a Department or a part of a Department. They may be compared with National governmental ministers. The Governing Mayor is Head of the City Government.

The City Government consists of seven Departments:

Office of the Governing Mayor
Department of Cultural Affairs and Business
Department of Environmental Affairs and Transportation
Department of Finance
Department of Knowledge and Education
Department for Seniors and Social Affairs
Department of Urban Development