Council votes on ‘biased’ info

A Napier City councillor has criticised her council for failing to consult properly and urged her colleagues to be ‘‘humble’’ and give residents another chance to vote on a controversial pool proposal.

The comments were made by Maxine Boag at a council meeting yesterday. Boag and five other councillors were out-voted 7-6 in their bid to put the pool development proposal back out for public consultation.

Boag, Kirsten Wise, Api Tapine, Richard McGrath, Tony Jeffery and Larry Dallimore claimed they voted on misleading and false information, but the council has decided to stick with the previously adopted $41 million plan to build a new aquatic facility in the suburb of Poraiti, and close the ageing one in Onekawa.

Yesterday’s extraordinary meeting was called because the six councillors felt the decision-making process had been flawed. Councillor Wise said both the community and council were split on the decision to build the new complex, to be modelled on Christchurch’s QEII facility.

Several councillors had accepted the original decision ‘‘in order to avoid holding up the entire [long-term plan]’’. They were told they’d have an opportunity to reconsult only to be advised later that they wouldn’t, ‘‘vital information’’ was left out of the ‘‘biased’’ long-term plan, Wise said.

Deputy mayor Faye White said ground contamination at the current site posed too great a risk. There was ‘‘known asbestos’’ in the existing pool building, which was still open, she said. McGrath said the asbestos revelation was ‘‘new information’’ to him.

Meanwhile, Boag said a 7000-strong petition begging for the council to reconsider its decision needed to be taken into account. The council needed to send the decision back out to the community.