Key points overturned on Hide's Bill

Friday 18th June sees the close of public submissions on the Local Government Amendment Bill. On Thursday Cr Celia Wade-Brown succeeded in  persuading the majority of her colleagues to overturn important points in the Wellington City Council submission.

"Minister Hide's wilder dreams of restricting Councils to pipes, roads and rubbish despite community preferences for wider services, have not been realised in the Bill. There are still matters of public concern." says Cr Celia Wade-Brown.

"Many citizens are worried about longer contracts to manage water services for Councils. Public participants at today's Wellington City Council, the Labour Party and the Greens see the 35 years maximum contracts for operation and management of assets as a big step to privatisation. "

The draft submission presented to Council's main committee today suggested that Council should support this extension of contracts from the 2002 Act.

Cr Celia Wade-Brown was pleased to succeed in changing Council's submission on the Local Government Amendment Billing two ways. It's good to see Council supporting the greater involvement of the public in .local government.

The formal submission now says.
WCC does not support increasing the period for a contract for any aspect of the operation of drinking water and stormwater services from 15 years to 35 years.
Further, the draft submission, as introduced by the Mayor, said that Council supported "removing the obligation to consider whether to seek community views at each stage of the decision-making process (clause 8)".  Cr Celia Wade-Brown says "While some decisions may be minor and do not require consultation at each stage , it is always good to consider whether there should be consultation and with whom."

The new sentence reads.
WCC supports having to consider whether to seek community views at each stage of the decision-making process but seeks to avoid repetitive consultation where there are different requirements of different legislation.
Both amendments had a strong 9-5 majority.

Cr Wade-Brown also supported Cr Ritchie's successful amendment to insist there is formal consultation before any decision to change how a service is supplied. This went through on Cr Foster's casting vote. Contracting out and corporatisation can have major implications for quality of service, fair access, pricing, and the long term capacity of local government. The public deserve to be consulted before such decisions are made.

The original submission may be read at http://www.wellington.govt.nz/haveyoursay/meetings/committee/Strategy_and_Policy/2010/17Jun0915/pdf/2010_June_17_SPC_Report_1.pdf

Celia Wade-Brown

Wellington City Councillor

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