Stamnes, Nordland


Sandnessjøen or Stamnes is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1899 until its dissolution in 1965. The municipality encompassed the northern part of the island of Alsten in what is now Alstahaug Municipality. Originally, it also included all of what is now Leirfjord Municipality as well. The administrative centre of the municipality was the town of Sandnessjøen.

History

The municipality of Stamnes was established on 1 July 1899 when it was split off from Alstahaug Municipality. Originally, it consisted of the northern part of the island of Alsta and the mainland area around the Leirfjorden. Initially, Stamnes had 2,673 residents. On 1 July 1915, the mainland district of Stamnes was separated to form the new Leirfjord Municipality. This left Stamnes with 1,059 residents.
In 1948, the municipality of Stamnes was renamed Sandnessjøen after the main town in the small municipality. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, the municipality of Sandnessjøen was merged with most of Alstahaug Municipality and most of Tjøtta Municipality to form a new, larger Alstahaug Municipality.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Sandnessjøen, are responsible for primary education, outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elects a mayor.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Sandnessjøen was made up of representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows: