Marlborough District Council is changing the way it develops its annual and long term plans in an effort to streamline the process, find greater cost efficiencies and improve long term outcomes for the region.

A report presented by Chief Executive John Boswell and Chief Financial Officer Geoff Blake to the Economic, Finance and Community Committee last week was strongly supported by the mayor and councillors.

“Our traditional annual and long term planning process has limitations, reducing the time available for Council to identify opportunities to be both more effective and efficient in the delivery of services,” Mr Boswell said.

“The new process means we will engage with the public earlier, giving ourselves time and space for a broader assessment of options and more focused analysis of fully costed activities and outcomes.”

Council had traditionally consulted on its annual and long term plans for four weeks in April each year, followed by public hearings where submitters speak in person to councillors.

“This gives us only a month to collate all the information, undertake analysis, finalise the proposed budget and then get approval from the mayor and councillors before the financial year begins on 1 July,” Mr Boswell said.

“It’s a very compressed timeframe and may not always result in the best long term outcomes.”

Mayor Nadine Taylor said she welcomed the new approach.

“The public will still be able to provide input each year and Council will continue to carry out a formal consultation with public hearings every three years for the Long Term Plan.”

“I will be writing to everyone who submitted on our Long Term Plan (LTP) this year, explaining the new process. It may take a while for regular submitters to adjust but I genuinely believe the new process will result in better outcomes for Marlborough.”

“A formal annual plan consultation with hearings each year is onerous for both the Council and the community. There is actually no requirement under the Local Government Act for a formal consultation each year, unless a significant change is proposed to Council budgets. However, Council does consider it important we continue to provide the community an opportunity to have input into the annual plan.”

“The broader issue at play here is that Council is under considerable financial pressure at the moment, due to the combined impacts of inflation, contract price increases, rising insurance premiums and the cost of the Sounds roading recovery. In this environment Council must explore every opportunity to be more efficient in the delivery of services to our community.”

“Our annual and long term plans will remain very much focussed on core infrastructure - roading, footpaths, waste management, water supply, flood protection and community facilities.”

“Council has very little ‘wriggle room’ for additional funding requests and a rates increase of 10.62% is currently proposed in the LTP for next year, 2025-26. We will be working hard to reduce that increase by looking critically at our funding requirements and finding efficiencies,” Mayor Taylor said.

“It’s a tough environment right now but the benefit of this new planning process means Council can spend more time examining its own operations and seeking savings.”

“I encourage submitters to continue to give us their feedback through the new process and look to direct any funding requests into next LTP consultation in 2027.”

The new annual plan budget proposal proposes:

• Starting this year with the 2025-26 Annual Plan, Council will provide an extended opportunity for public input - primarily through online engagement platform Dialogue - from November 2024 to January 2025 (dates to be confirmed)
• For the 2026-27 Annual Plan, Council would again provide a similar opportunity for public engagement in late 2025.
• For the 2027-37 LTP, the third year of the revised planning cycle, Council will again provide an opportunity for early engagement and, in line with statutory requirements, undertake full consultation with public hearings.

The proposed new process is subject to ratification at the full Council meeting on 31 October.

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