21 May 2009 Media release

Local Government - more than just business units for sale

The Government must start recognising that the Auckland region’s local governments aren’t just business units to be broken up and put on the auction block for sale, says Labour’s Associate Local Government spokesperson Su’a William Sio.

“Our councils are much more than that, they are also democratic organisations that were charged under the Local Government Act 2000 to look after the wellbeing of the people, namely their:

• social wellbeing
• cultural wellbeing
• environmental wellbeing
• economic wellbeing

“Our communities are questioning whether the Government’s hidden agenda in these reforms, is to position at least some of the $28 billion dollars worth of public assets now held by the Auckland councils for sale,” says Su’a William Sio.

“The significant job loss predicted among council employees, which is likely to shift some business to private sector contractors, is also raising questions.

The names being floated for the Government’s Super City Transition Agency are all associated with big business, which are only serving to deepen those concerns.

“It may well be that these are good, honourable people who know business well. But local governments are also public entities with a broad range of responsibilities. They are put there by the people, for the people,” Su’a William Sio said.

“The Transition Agency will need people with local government experience, and people who represent the Auckland community. It must be inclusive.

“If the faces of the community are not represented on the agency, and it is dominated by big business, the Government cannot expect the public to support it and can expect suspicions about the real motives behind these reforms to grow.”

ENDS

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