Council rationalisation ? a step closer?
By Chrys Ayley
What would the potential benefits be from amalgamating councils in the Wellington area and whose decision is it anyway? With Auckland City now heading at breakneck speed towards amalgamation with a new super city by October 2010 the hot topic of conversation locally is whether the Wellington region will be next in line to amalgamate. Former Hutt City Mayor and former Labour MP for Western Hutt John Terris said the concept is overdue and Wellington would lose an opportunity if it does not try to mirror what will happen in Auckland. Mr Terris acknowledges that public consultation would be necessary but is definitely in favour of the concept of rationalisation. ?From a non-political, non-parochial view this has got to happen,? he said. ?As a region we want to put our case for national resources ? it is much more compelling if we?re doing it with one voice.? Mr Terris was an MP at the time of amalgamation of Petone, Wainuiomata and Eastbourne councils in 1989 and said there was huge public concern but ?Twenty years on you can look around you and the sky didn?t fall in.? There are two words to show why rationalisation would work, he says - Transmission Gully. The road has not been built because the eight authorities are unable to express themselves with one voice. ?We need democracy and we need big ticket items like roading, water, and housing under one entity, because there are savings to be made.? We would get better local government as local councils would attend to local matters and regional councils to regional matters, he said. It is important to do some things locally like rubbish, bus stops, local roads and parking fines but there are some issues like water that have to be managed regionally. Currently the eight Wellington local authorities each has its own separate water retailing with a regional council to look after the storage. ?It doesn?t make sense.? Porirua City Council mayor Jenny Brash said it would be inappropriate to comment on the issue as the council does not know what the people are thinking. The first thing to do would be to agree on a process for having discussions with the community and having an informed debate. ?We have to do this properly.? Upper Hutt City Mayor Wayne Guppy agreed said any change of governance should be driven by the people, not by the politicians and it has to be driven for the right reasons. The issue needs the emotion taking out of it, the facts put on the table and costings are necessary, he said.
