Trust in councillors lacking

What is it about councillors that people don’t trust?

Could it be a perceived old boys’ club, unfair rates for people in the sticks, or is bagging councillors just a national blood sport?

About 84 per cent of Marlburians do not trust councillors to act on issues that matter most to them, according to Stuff’s Your Place survey, on par with the national average of 84 per cent. We asked respondents: ‘‘Why?’’

Woodbourne resident Geoff Hines said he didn’t trust councillors to look after small towns as well as they did Blenheim.

Hines, who is of Rangita¯ne, Nga¯ti Kuia and Nga¯ti Apa descent, said he also felt councillors weren’t a trustworthy reflection of the community. ‘‘There’s lots of reasons why I mistrust that they will give me, as a member of this community . . . a fair shake of the dice.’’

It was important ratepayers trusted councillors, Hines said, as they were the ‘‘duly elected’’ people entrusted with ‘‘building our community for the future’’.

Blenheim resident Tim Leslie, who answered ‘‘no’’ to the survey’s question on trusting councillors, said the question’s ‘‘yes’’ or ‘‘no’’ answer was limiting, as he felt councillors did their best.

‘‘It’s a national blood sport to be anti-council, anti-authoritive . . . I think people need to be more broad-minded,’’ said Leslie, the National Party’s regional vicechairman.

The survey, which ran between August 19 and September 3, aimed to gauge the issues that mattered most ahead of this year’s local body elections.

A total of 8101 people responded, 171 of whom were from Marlborough. Responses were weighted to reflect each region’s share of the total population.

The survey also asked: ‘‘Would you pay higher rates in exchange for more services from your local council?’’ Three in four Marlburians said ‘‘no’’.

About two-thirds of Marlburians were unhappy or very unhappy with the level of rates charged by the council for the services it provided.