Annette King
Local Government Spokesperson
19 January 2012
National gets in on ACT’s act
Nick Smith’s so-called local government ‘reforms’ regurgitate the once loathed ideas of Rodney Hide, Labour’s Local
Government spokesperson Annette King says.
“ACT’s former leader was a proponent of restricting Councils to core services. Provisions in his amendment to the Local
Government Act 2002 were watered down - requiring Councils to have ‘particular regard to’ core services - by the very
same bunch of people now telling local Councils to do exactly the opposite.
“Sticking to your knitting might make for efficient governance. But who’s to say what that knitting should be?
“John Key considers building national infrastructure, such as New Zealand’s cycleway to be a core council service. Nick
Smith says water, roads footpaths and libraries are core functions.
“But there’s a long list of other activities that many communities feel should also come under the core service
umbrella; things like environmental protection, swimming pools and council housing and events such as international arts
and music festivals,” Annette King said.
“Councils have long term community plans, and those plans, which set out spending for 10 years ahead, are formulated
after public consultation. Yet almost annually it seems, local government is being foisted with more responsibilities
courtesy of central Government
“The sector has been reviewed and reviewed and reviewed…there are recommendations from six years ago that still haven’t
be implemented.
“Now we have more recommendations, in the form of another list. This time there’s an 8-point plan outlining a raft of
changes from narrowing the focus of local government to increasing the Minister’s power and potentially opening up
capital works to privatisation.
“This is Nanny state. It is central Government stepping very heavily on the toes of local communities,” Annett King
said.
ENDS