People see councils as more effective if they practise greater localism, a poll released by LGNZ today has found.

“New Zealanders do not want Wellington to run their lives. Instead, they've told us they want more decision making delegated down to the local level, where that makes sense,” LGNZ President Sam Broughton said.

“We have the evidence that localism delivers better value for ratepayers, gets better results and best meets the needs of communities. Now we have clear public support for more localism.”

A poll conducted by Curia found:

Local councils’ effectiveness:

• 31% said their council was above average,
• 39% said their council was average,
• 24% said their council was below average.

For councils to be more effective:

• 65% net increase in effectiveness for tailoring services locally
• 55% net increase in effectiveness for involving communities in decisions
• 47% net increase in effectiveness for better supporting community groups
• 38% net increase in effectiveness for delegating more decisions to communities

“In order to have a strong local democracy, we need it to be effective. Councils have an opportunity to grab localism with both hands and improve their communities.

“Around the country, there are practical examples of localism working really well, from participatory budgeting to citizens panels and provision of healthcare, but there is a clear call from communities that more should be done,” Sam Broughton said.

LGNZ has launched a practical guide for councils to support them to action more localism.

“The Government has said it has a localism agenda – and that is backed by councils and communities.

“For all areas LGNZ tested in the poll (from infrastructure to education to emergency management), the majority of respondents saw central government, local government and communities as needing to play a strong role together – rather than central government or local government leading these things alone.

“For too long, successive governments have tried to control councils and communities when the evidence shows that stops growth and delivers worse outcomes.

“Regional deals announced today will be an opportunity for to work collaboratively with the Government on shared issues and deliver growth that benefits our communities.

“The Mayors Taskforce for Jobs (MTFJ) programme is a proven example of localism in action, devolving youth unemployment solutions to the grassroots.

“Despite worsening employment conditions, the locally delivered MTFJ programme has beaten targets to get more young people into employment, with a $5.60 return for every $1 invested.

“We want to see follow through on the Government’s promise of genuine localism,” Sam Broughton said.

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