Hjørring’s town hall administration aims to ‘never say no’ to businesses.
A town to be proud of With a string of improvements to its administration, infrastructure and job training, Hjørring is increasingly becoming a place that businesses move to rather than from. But the North Jutland municipality is not just acting through typical practical improvements. Ambitious projects – such as a new 180 million DKK theatre venue, a visionary circular economy scheme, and renewable energy sources – are also at the core of the strategy to make Hjørring a town to be proud of for businesses and their employees alike. Scan Magazine spoke to the town’s mayor, Arne Boelt. By Signe Hansen | Photos: Hjørring Kommune
Located in the region of Northern Jutland, half an hour from Aalborg, Hjørring is one of the towns in Denmark that cannot expect to be businesses’ most obvious first choice. However, with innovative energy and recycling solutions, an expanding cultural scene and a municipality that is determined to “never say no”, the town is well on its way to changing this. The success is based on three core strategies: making business easier for companies, making life better for their employees and making both proud of Hjørring. 80 | Issue 89 | June 2016
“Having a well-functioning town hall administration is so important for the companies to feel that they can rely on us. If a company is having trouble with their VAT, we need to be able to assist them straight away, not in 14 days, and we need to be determined never to say no unless we’re legally obliged to,” stresses Mayor Arne Boelt and adds: “We are located at the top of Denmark, and that means we have to work a little harder to ensure that our businesses can attract the talent they need.” When someone is
invited to a job interview in Hjørring, it makes a huge difference if they get the impression that this is a place where things happen. While Mayor Arne Boelt acknowledges that Hjørring will never be Paris or Copenhagen, the town can still provide that ‘wow-a-lot-is-going-onhere’ feeling. “That’s the alfa and omega when it comes to being attractive for newcomers,” he says.
Sustainable innovation The industry in Hjørring is more or less equally divided between three sectors: industry, tourism and agriculture. When it comes to tourism, the town is naturally privileged with many natural landmarks, beaches and family attractions nearby. Farming too has been an integral part of the area for centuries, but that does not mean that the agricultural industry is just left to do its own thing, stresses Boelt. “The agricultural industry is about