Jackbooted Councils Need Chaining Up, Not Empowering

"Fascist local government thuggery" is how outraged Libertarianz Leader Peter Cresswell describes the decision by the North Shore City and Auckland Regional Councils to use the Public Works Act to force a private landowner to surrender its land for a proposed regional park. "These are the authoritarian bullies to which the Government wants to give even more power under the Local Government Act!" points out Cresswell, who says that "Sandra Lee's proposals to give local government more power will simply entrench their bullying nature, and empower even more of this thuggery."

"North Shore and Auckland Regional Councils (NSCC & ARC) are upset because after a year of negotiations, the landowner won't sell its farmland for their proposed park and they are now resorting to gangster-like threats. They seem to forget the farmer's land is private property; councils that can't get their own way should not confiscate it! When you buy land it should be YOURS to do with it as you see fit, as long as you don't interfere with others rights to do the same" said Cresswell, pointing out "it is a principle these councillors would do well to learn."

"In an absolute irony the councils claims the landowner held them to ransom, forgetting that the monthly rates bills councils impose are TRULY holding the community to ransom."

"Councillor Margaret Miles said 'the community clearly wanted the land saved from housing'. If this is true, then the 'community' should get together, form an association, and raise money to persuade the landowner to sell voluntarily rather than send in Councillor Miles to threaten him on their behalf. The 'community' could of course do this more easily if the two Councils weren't fingering everyone's bank balances for so much in rates each year," exclaimed an exasperated Cresswell.

Cresswell points out that Libertarianz would provide an easy source of funding for those in the community wanting a regional park by abolishing Infrastructure Auckland and distributing all is assets back to the ratepayers who paid for them. This would give each Aucklander over $2000 each, allowing those who want this regional park to contribute their share, and the we could really see just how much people wanted to have a park.

In addition Libertarianz would dump the Public Works Act, the tool of big planners who like to ride roughshod over individual landowners and their property rights." he concluded.

More details on the Libertarianz submission on the Local Government Act review, which proposes significant limitations on the exercise of Council powers, can be found at at: www.libertarianz.org.nz.

Submissions on Sandra Lee's Local Government Act review close TODAY. Please email your submission against increases in local government power to lgareview@dia.govt.nz.

It's enough to make you vote Libertarianz!

ENDS

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