MEDIA RELEASE

Councils totally out of touch with their ratepayers

The decision by councils, at their annual conference, to oppose new legislation more clearly defining the purposes of local government, is clearly at odds with the demands of ratepayers across the country who have been campaigning for years to bring rate increases under control.

Local Government New Zealand [LGNZ] is the combined mouthpiece of all or most councils in the country which purports to represent the views of local communities.

Ratepayers across the country will choke with disbelieve at the statement by LGNZ president Laurence Yule that;-

"The current system allows councils to do most things, and they do so if their communities want them and are prepared to pay for them."

The problem with that statement is the fact that most councils roll out their annual plans and rate rises for so-called ‘consultation’ and then largely ignore the views of the ratepayers who must meet the cost.

The Government will have the full support of ratepayers as it moves to legislate new regulations to bring council expenditure, rates income and debt levels under control.

As part of this package the Government is proposing to redefine the role of local government.

Councils need to be reminded that they exist only because of legislation from Parliament, and if Parliament feels it needs to place some controls on councils' ability to tax their citizens, then that is Parliaments right.

For Mr Yule to suggest that, under the proposed new legislation, councils would be wide open to legal challenges is total claptrap.

Councils who break the law are already open to legal challenge, as is the case in Kaipara.

The proposed new legislation will force councils to give genuine consideration to ratepayers’ ability to pay, and if they fail the Government would have the power to step in to protect ratepayers’ funds.

ENDS

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