Changes to Community Services card use sought after error found
The Palmerston North City Council has been breaking the rules by using Community Services cards to establish people’s entitlement to council housing.
The error was discovered last year when council staff were exploring whether it would be possible to provide parking concessions for people on low incomes using the card as an eligibility check.
City councillor Lorna Johnson said they discovered it would have been a breach of the Health Entitlement Cards Regulations to ask to see people’s cards.
But even before that, the council had already been using cards as part of the eligibility test for social housing and for a free rubbish bag trial. Now, it is seeking support from other councils to put a remit to Local Government New Zealand seeking a change to the rules.
Johnson said the card was a useful proxy for checking someone’s eligibility, as cardholders had already gone through the means testing and income checks the council would have to ask them to repeat for access to council concessions.
“Council must ... request a series of other documents from an individual to test eligibility. This creates obstacles for applicants and privacy and consistency concerns for councils.”
The regulations as they stand state that no-one other than an employee of the Health ministry or department or a pharmacist could ask to see the card.
That rule was amended in 2022 to add public transport authorities so card-holders could get cheaper bus fares.
The city council agreed allowing councils to ask people to show the card would improve access to council services, and would be more efficient than having to repeat income checks that had already been done.
The council will be asking other councils in its zone to support the remit being presented to the LGNZ national meeting later in the year.