HUTT CITY COUNCIL NEWS RELEASE

4 JULY 2016

Update on LGC review of Wellington region

Lower Hutt Mayor Ray Wallace says the public needs to know that the Local Government Commission (LGC) is reviewing the activities and services of the region’s councils.

“Following the rejection of a Wellington super city, the Commission is this year pursuing alternative forms of council reorganisation of resources such as water and transport.

“Hutt City Council has participated in discussions with LGC because it makes sense to review whether we can manage the region’s assets more efficiently and effectively.

“We’re open to discussing better ways of aligning resources or sharing services, but we’ll only support change where there is a proven mutual benefit and the public wants it.”

Mayor Wallace said the LGC was holding discussions with councils on five main areas where services could be reorganised: transportation, water, economic development, spatial planning and amalgamation of the Wairarapa councils. He understood that transportation was the service most likely to be substantially reorganised.

He says consideration of amalgamating the Wairarapa councils is also likely given some of those councils requested analysis of the benefits of merging with each other, and resoundingly rejected amalgamation of the whole Wellington region.

In June, legislation enacting the Government’s Better Local Services was introduced in Parliament. The reforms are designed to make it easier for councils to do their own reorganisations rather than a single Local Government Commission-led option.

“There’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes to reorganise local governance. The public ought to know what is being discussed.

“I commit that Hutt City Council won’t agree to reorganisation without public support, and without proof that there is a problem that can be fixed.

“I’m also undertaking to keep the public informed,” Mayor Wallace said.

ENDS

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