Business Confidence and Sis Expansion

Small businesses in Östergötland have strong confidence in the future, according to this year’s Småföretagsbarometer. At the same time, Statens institutionsstyrelse is expanding the youth home in Folåsa outside Linköping, and Motala Municipality says no to nuclear power. In Norrköping, the speedway club Vargarna is granted a loan of 1,2 million kr.

Youth home in Folåsa to be expanded – 47 places in 2028

Statens institutionsstyrelse (Sis) is a government agency responsible for individually tailored compulsory care of young people with serious psychosocial problems and adults with substance abuse problems. Sis is expanding its youth home for girls in Folåsa outside Linköping, and the first groundbreaking for the new premises has taken place. The youth home provides care for girls who are subject to compulsory education and attend lower secondary school.

When the new building is completed in early 2028, the facility will have 47 places for residents. 40 new jobs will be created, and around 240 employees will work at Folåsa. Sis cared for 690 children and young people last year, the highest figure in 10 years. SVT Nyheter Öst

Motala says definitively no to nuclear power

Motala kommun (the local municipality) now says definitively no to establishing a nuclear power plant in the municipality. The decision means a setback for Kärnfull Next, which has spent a long time investigating the possibilities of building new nuclear power in Motala. The company is unwilling to announce the project's future and is internally exploring how to proceed.

The opposition criticizes the decision and argues that the issue should have been fully investigated before the municipality took a position. Corren

Wolves receive municipal loan of 1.2 million SEK

Norrköping municipal executive board (the municipality's leading political body) unanimously decided to grant a loan of 1.2 million SEK to the speedway club Vargarna. The money is needed to upgrade the facility at Kråkvilan so that the club can meet the safety requirements imposed on all clubs in the top league (Bauhausligan) next year.

The club had also applied for a loan of 900,000 SEK to repay previous private loans to, among others, board members, close relatives and their companies. The proposal from the municipal director's office was that politicians should reject both loan applications, but the municipal executive board made a different decision. Norrköpings Tidningar

Business owners in Östergötland are optimistic about the future

Östergötland is one of the counties with the strongest small-business climate in the country, according to this year’s small-business barometer. Companies are positive about order volumes, profitability and the opportunity to hire.

18 percent of companies are concerned about political shifts surrounding the major infrastructure project Ostlänken, and 15 percent say that finding suitable labor is a challenge. The survey is based on companies with 1–49 employees, covers 303 companies in Östergötland County and was conducted by Novus between 19 August and 21 September 2026. SVT Nyheter Öst

New pedestrian and cycle path in Norrköping

A new pedestrian and cycle path is nearing completion between the Klinga area and Klockaretorpet in Norrköping. It begins at Kolonigatan and then extends towards the Klinga area. The route was previously mostly a gravel road used by both farmers and members of the public on foot or by bicycle.

The path is intended to connect the Klinga area with Klockaretorpet and provide an alternative to the old main road, where traffic is considerably heavier and opportunities for cycling are limited today. Not everything is fully completed, and the municipality has put up information signs along the route. Norrköpings Tidningar

Finland's ice hockey federation refuses to play against Russia

Finland's ice hockey federation says it will do everything in its power to prevent Russia from playing in the World Championship next year. There will be no match between Russia and Finland.

On Friday, the Sports Disciplinary Board (Cas) announced that Russia is permitted to play in events including the men's World Championship in Germany in May. Corren

In brief

• Arbetsmiljöverket, the authority that monitors the working environment, is withdrawing its SEK 200,000 demand for the BB/Gynaecology Department at Vrinnevisjukhuset in Norrköping, but safety representatives warn that not all workplace problems have been resolved. Norrköpings Tidningar
• A new dissertation from Linköping University shows that high levels of connective tissue proteins in the blood are linked to a lower risk of coronary artery disease, with around 1,000 people included in the dissertation. SVT Nyheter Öst
• Housing prices in Sweden fell by an overall 1.5 percent in October compared with September, while prices for detached houses dropped by 2.4 percent, according to SBAB and the property website Booli. Corren
• After the 1–1 draw with Malmö FF, in which the home team equalised in the 93rd minute, the central defender praises the collective and says the team put in a really, really good match. Norrköpings Tidningar
• Valdemarsviks kommun has granted planning permission for a completely new hotel with 39 rooms and a spa by the water in Fyrudden. Norrköpings Tidningar
• The consulting company Digivera Konsult was established on 30 October 2026 in Mjölby and will conduct consulting activities in areas including business development, digitalisation, IT governance and system administration. Corren
• A moped collided with a wild boar on road 1152 just outside Finspång at around 20.20 on Monday evening. The driver sustained burns and was taken to hospital by ambulance, but did not sustain such serious injuries. SVT Nyheter Öst