Grassroots democracy in Lower Hutt?
Media release
VAN – Valley Action Network
26
September, 2007
Spring flowering of grassroots
democracy in Lower Hutt?
The public launch of Valley
Action Network’s policy on Grassroots
Democracy will
take place at a meeting of Community Board candidates in
Petone tonight.
“Hutt City Council has done a
dramatic about-face”, said VAN organiser
Grant
Brookes. “Last year, they wanted to do away with all
elected
Community Boards.
“That sparked a local
revolt, including threats by Petone and
Eastbourne to
break away. So now they’ve promised a shake-up to bring
more democracy to local communities, and extra support
to the elected
Community Boards.
“That shows the
power of grassroots pressure”, commented Grant Brookes.
“But even before the changes are made, the Council
meeting last week
seemed to be watering them
down.
“VAN wants this budding of community democracy in
Hutt City to lead to
a full flowering of people power.
Our policy, reproduced below,
contains the changes
needed to return democratic control to the
grassroots
majority.”
VAN’s policy on Grassroots Democracy is the
fifth of six policy
releases to be made before the
elections are over. The others,
available on the
group’s website (www.huttvan.org.nz), cover:
* A Human
City -- Putting people before big business interests
* A
Green City -- Action on climate change. Zero tolerance for
polluters
* Grassroots Democracy -- Community Boards for
all, with extra powers
* Rates Justice -- Reductions
based on need. Residents before greedy
corporations
*
Free Council Services -- Not just protected but
extended
* Free and Frequent Public Transport -- It makes
climate sense and
serves the people.
Tonight's
meeting, organised by the Petone Planning Action Group and
the Korokoro Environment Group, starts at 7.30pm at the
Senior Citizens
Hall (behind the Petone Community House
on Britannia St).
Postal voting ends on October 13.
-------------
Grassroots democracy -- Community boards for all, with extra powers
Democracy in New Zealand
has been reduced to a hollow shell. Time and
again, the
politicians betray the trust of the people.
Privatisation
and commercialisation have removed what were once public
services from any democratic control.
At elections,
there's not much difference between any of the mainstream
candidates. None of them take the side of ordinary
people.
The trappings of democracy remain, but decisions
are made by the few,
for the few. No wonder many people
switch off politics altogether.
We believe democracy
means more than the chance to tick a box once
every
three years. Democracy means community control over the
decisions
affecting our lives.
It means the active
involvement of all Hutt residents -- not just the
well-connected few -- in the affairs of our
city.
Returning democratic control to the grassroots
majority will take
changes at all
levels.
Ends