INDEPENDENT NEWS

Wellington Residents Keen to Discuss Regional Change

Published: Mon 20 May 2013 04:20 PM
Wellington Residents Keen to Discuss Regional Change
Wellington’s residents are interested in discussing change to local government, a new survey has found.
Respondents to the survey, commissioned by Wellington City Council, had a clear preference for a single council on the western side of the Rimutaka range made up of 29 councillors and a mayor.
Wellington City Council Chief Executive Kevin Lavery has released the results of the Colmar Brunton survey which investigated proposals to restructure local government in the Wellington region.
“I want to ensure a complete picture is being made available through these discussions”, said Mr Lavery.
“Wellington’s residents are interested in discussing change to local government. It’s our role to ensure that the best information is available for them to see.”
The survey asked 503 people living in Wellington about their views on possible options for reform to the structures of local government in the region. The survey has a 95% confidence level and asked about whether residents want to see change and, if changes were made, what preferences they had.
Of those surveyed, 51% are interested in changes to the way that local government is structured in the region.
“This shows the debate is live and people are interested,” Mr Lavery said. “We’ve also asked about what is important to people in deciding whether change should happen in local government.”
Respondents to the survey had a clear preference for a single council model when considering key factors such as accountability, transparency, effectiveness and efficiency and certainty over who was responsible.
“We think these results are encouraging and they certainly inform our ongoing work. Our next step will be to report to Councillors on 6 June,” Mr Lavery said.
“It’s important that people understand that Wellingtonians must decide on what they want for the region. Our role is to ensure that debate is open, honest and well-informed.”
Headline Survey Results:
52% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the structure of local government needs to change, 33% were neutral or did not know and 15% of residents disagree that change is needed.
43% of respondents prefer a single-tier structure, of whom 74% felt strongly or very strongly about their preference, 25% did not.
37% of respondents prefer a two-tier structure, of whom 55% felt strongly or very strongly about their preference, 45% did not.
18% of respondents prefer the status quo, of whom 72% felt strongly or very strongly about their preference, 28% did not feel strongly.
49% of respondents support the Wairarapa not being included in a future council in the region, 29% support the Wairarapa being included and 22% of respondents do not know.
A copy of the full survey results (4MB) can be emailed on request.
ENDS

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