Amalgamation info

Editor,

Is the mayor of Porirua giving people the right information about amalgamation?

Mayor Leggett criticised [Hutt] councillor Ken Laban after he was used as an example alongside mayor Guppy from Upper Hutt City Council when talking about high profile people hijacking the media.

Nick Leggett told people the Ken Laban was living in the past.

Criticism has been directed by myself at Geoffrey Palmer being the chairperson [of the Local Government Review Panel] for two reasons:

1) Because he was deputy and prime minister of the 1989 amalgamation which saw service reduced to Wainuiomata

2) He also wants New Zealand made a homogeneous unitary state and did not support New Zealand being a unicameralist state, eg two chambers in parliament or federal state.

So when making options can he be neutral as the local government allows a local authority to form a unitary authority?

Nick Leggett never told people in his attack on Ken Laban that the Porirua City Council and the Greater Wellington Regional need the community to show the Minister of

Local Government to make a reorganisation plan.

He never told people either that in 1989 the holistic approach to funding and legislation on fiscal responsibility led to cuts in service.

Also how much of your rates will go to paying debt? The 1989 amalgamation of the Hutt saw ratepayers pay the debt of Lower Hutt.