Trial mooted to lift community input on council

‘‘How do we stop the loudest voices just getting louder?’’ asked councillor Mark Bunting during discussion on getting more community input into Hamilton City Council’s thinking.

The answer, it seems, was adding community committees, as councillors voted to recommend a trial to whoever’s elected in October.

Councillors were debating how best to boost engagement with the community, and also recommended increased support for existing community-based organisations.

The details, scope and structure of any community committees will be determined by the incoming council.

Staff had recommended an option which would simply see the council build on the relationships it had with existing community-based organisations to develop a more inclusive community engagement approach.

But councillor Angela O’Leary pushed for formal committees, given community support for such a move.

After further discussion on the pros and cons of various options, the council backed O’Leary’s suggestion and the trial.

During discussion, councillor Mark Bunting indicated it was important to make sure the voices of ordinary people were heard whatever was decided, not just the usual ‘‘loudest voices’’.

Councillor Ewan Wilson was concerned about the costs of supporting community committees, suggesting this could involve millions of dollars over 10 years.

The decision on a trial follows a council request to staff last year to look at community committees in the city’s east and west wards.

A staff report to the hui said: ‘‘The purpose of community-based committees is to enable deeper engagement and advocacy at a grassroots level and to empower local communities to provide solutions for local issues.’’

Membership could involve appointments and elections, the report said, adding that some felt two committees might not be enough. Other public feedback suggested the best areas for committees could include the likes of high social deprivation communities, those with a high proportion of youth and Mā ori and areas with less access to council amenities.

Staff suggested a trial would need to go for at least two years and noted extra resources would be needed to support committees.

In a statement after the meeting, mayor Paula Southgate noted the council had already done a lot to improve connections with the community, and there had been a 160% increase in long term plan submissions.

Southgate said increasing engagement with Hamiltonians was a balancing act of costs and resources.

‘‘This trial continues our efforts to find new ways of strengthening our community’s voice.’’

Some in the community have previously advocated for more formal community boards, the statement said, but the council had previously decided against this, a move supported by the Local Government Commission.