MEDIA RELEASE
Don’t ambush local democracy
For immediate release on 10 June2009

“Local democracy is not broken and does not need to be fixed,” says Local Government New Zealand President Lawrence Yule.

“The community consultation process allows ample opportunity and transparency in council decision-making and ensures any new council initiative has the backing of its community.”

The current debate about what does and does not constitute a core service raises democratic and constitutional issues, says Mr Yule. “Councillors are elected with a mandate to make decisions on behalf of and with their communities. It is a system that has worked well for hundreds of years and is proof that communities trust their elected members to do what’s best for them.

“The result is local government that meets the expectations of the communities it serves, in response to the identified needs and preferences of those communities.

“Our New Zealand communities are very diverse. The range of activities provided by their councils reflects that. Those that find themselves out of step with their communities will be voted out at the next local authority election.”

Mr Yule says it is not appropriate for the state to impose decision-making restrictions on councils that it does not impose on itself. “The more the state interferes in the relationship between locally elected representatives and their communities, the less effective local democracy will be.

“Parliament lacks the knowledge to determine what activities should be ‘core’. This should be left to local citizens, in consultation with their locally elected councillors. They are best placed to make this choice.”

Any Government proposals that attempt to define the role of councils should be subject to open debate to ensure they assist rather than restrict councils’ ability to benefit their communities.

ENDS

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