12 July 2009l   Media Statement        

Government’s super city plan unravelling
       
       
The National Government’s super city plan is slowly unravelling, with the Government now being forced to accept the new super city's local councils must have full powers and resources instead of the talk shops they said was all that was needed to deliver local democracy, Labour's Auckland Issues spokesperson Phil Twyford says.

“After a week of submissions to the Auckland select committee it is now clear the Government has been forced to back down on its plan to create toothless local boards,” Phil Twyford said.

"Aucklanders have been united in telling the government they will not accept their local communities losing their voice in the new super city. People are insistent local councils must have the genuine powers and resources to govern local matters like local roads, parks, local planning and local services.

“This is a victory for those of us who have said all along that having toothless boards meant that communities would not be adequately represented in the new super city and another step on the long road to fixing up the government’s deep flawed super city plan.”

Phil Twyford said that although the Government had made no formal announcement on the U-turn, and the select committee still had three weeks of submissions to hear, it was clear from comments made to submitters by committee chair John Carter that the Government had shifted its position.

"Rodney Hide and John Key arrogantly ignored the need for an empowered second tier of local councils to balance the centralised powers of the new Auckland Council, saying their ‘local boards’ will give people all the local control they need. But people read the fine print, and discovered these local boards cannot even buy a pencil of their own. Now the government is back-pedalling as fast as they can go.

"Their toothless talk shops have been criticised by all mayors, by Local Government NZ, by two of the Royal Commissioners speaking out publicly, and an array of community groups and individuals.

“Labour has been very vocal that communities needed a greater say and I am now hopeful that National is seeing sense and realising that it can’t have token boards,” Phil Twyford said.

“While I am delighted that National is beginning to see sense on community boards, we now need them realise that it’s the public that should have the say on any sales of assets not politicians.

"We have to act now to save our parks, libraries and pensioner housing otherwise politicians interested in driving through a privatisation policy will be able to dispose of ratepayer-owned assets,” Phil Twyford said.

"The threat is real. It is not so long since our airport shares were sold off, and there was a concerted attempt to sell the ports. And the Local Government Minister is an avowed advocate of privatisation.

“I have encountered a great deal of concern over the past few months during the super city debate from Aucklanders. The government has labelled these legitimate public concerns as ‘scaremongering’ but the time has now come for the government to ‘ante up’ and say where it stands on protecting Auckland’s community assets in public hands.

“I currently have a bill that will go before Parliament aimed at forcing referenda to be held before any of Auckland’s community assets can be sold and Labour have launched an anti-asset selling campaign,” Phil Twyford said

Labour’s anti asset selling campaign can be found at www.notyourstosell.co.nz

ends

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