Reform gets nod as options stay open
WELLINGTONIANS have spoken in favour of council amalgamations as the regional debate on local government reform heats up.
More than 1200 people have submitted to the Wellington City Council on four local government reform options – with 77 per cent saying they support change.
With changes to the way amalgamations are handled coming in at the end of this year, people are being warned to speak now or lose the chance.
The two most drastic options – a Wellington unitary council and a Wairarapa council, or one super-city council – garnered the most support among those championing change, a summary of the submissions released by the council yesterday shows.
Wellington’s super-city debate is heating up as councils work to create new models for governance in time for the 2013 election.
The push for reform comes after the Government announced changes that narrowed councils’ focus to providing only core public services, such as local infrastructure and regulatory functions.
The council’s executive strategist, Alan Prangnell, said the split in the submissions was closer to 60 per cent for change, and 40 per cent opposed, after a number of the people who said they supported change then voted for the status quo with a closer working relationship.
Of those submitters who voted for one of the four options, 25 per cent voted for the status quo; 15 per cent for creating three councils in Wellington, Wairarapa and the Hutt Valley; 30 per cent supported two councils in Wellington and the Wairarapa; and 23 per cent voted for a single council for the region, with local boards.
The consultation was run separately to a panel established by Greater Wellington regional council.