Friday 14 August, 2009

TDC unwilling to allow independent consultation

TDC unwilling to allow residents to be consulted by the Local Government Commission

The Tasman District Council (TDC), seems unwilling to allow its residents to enjoy an independent consultation process with the Local Government Commission, says Aldo Miccio today. Cr Miccio launched a petition on Friday 24th July, 2009, seeking the signatures of 10% of Nelson and 10% of Tasman registered voters, in accordance with the Local Government Act (2002). If these signatures are achieved, the Local Government Commission would investigate, draft a reogranisation scheme for consultation and then present a final scheme for all residents to vote on at a poll.

Aldo Miccio says TDC Mayor Richard Kempthorne’s comments in the Council’s Newsline magazine on July 31st that “a petition to support an amalgamation investigation is not needed” is not in-line with the many comments he is getting from Tasman residents.

“It seems incredible to me that the TDC seems unwilling to allow its residents the chance to have a look at the detail of Council amalgamation,” Miccio says. “The democratic process I am trying to secure for the wider region, would give everyone two chances to have their say – firstly the Commission would consult on its draft reorganisation scheme, and then everyone would get to vote for either the final scheme or the status quo.

“I have had correspondence with many Tasman residents who believe their Mayor seems determined to tell them how to think,” he says. “People say to me they want to see an amalgamation model for themselves, so they can make up their own minds. The TDC may say it has consulted in the past, but what has it consulted on? What amalgamation scheme have the people actually said No to? No-one knows.

“It should also be pointed out that the costs of the Local Government Commission’s investigation and consultation process would be covered by the Commission,” he adds. “All the Commission wants from us is our time, so we can tell them our individual needs, including the needs for fair representation of the small and rural communities, as well as the urban settlements.

“Meanwhile, in this week’s Newsline the TDC has listed joint Council projects, but what it omits to comment on is the suboptimal nature of the process in developing these projects,” he says. “The funding inequity of Saxton Field and the delays in delivering other projects due to the complexity of joint Council processes have conveniently been omitted from this story. “It is true that both councils try with all best intentions to work together, but there are many projects where the process has been less than perfect and costly,” Miccio says. “I believe ratepayers deserve a better system for their money, and they deserve to have their say about our region’s local governance model.”

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