Catrina Jones

It was heartening to hear Prime Minister Chris Luxon announce on December 16, details of our new local government reforms: “Councils must concentrate on core basic functions and live within their means. “

Music to our ears; this echoes what Mayor Victor Luca has been saying.

He has expressed these sentiments in his Beacon mayoral opinion pieces, his expectations report to councillors and in this year's long-term plan mayor’s message, saying:  “Council must live within our means, doing more with less and ensuring basic services  remain efficient and accessible to all and to be prudent stewards of our resources.”

However, his message seems to have fallen on deaf ears in relation to most councillors.

The new reforms will not be passed until mid-2025.

The most significant change is that the government has removed any reference to the four well-beings (social, environmental, economic and cultural) from the Local Government Act 2002 and focus will be on restoring infrastructure and delivering core services, spending responsibly and operating under greater scrutiny.

The Government will benchmark council performances. The Department of Internal Affairs will publish a report on key financial delivery outcomes, helping ratepayers hold council accountable.

The council must scrutinise every dollar it spends as they it puts together the next annual plan and review the distric’s proposed rates increase of 12.7 percent for this year.

Mr Luxon declared New Zealand rates are out of control.  He said the party is over where councils are using the four wellbeing’s to justify their spending.

On December 12, WAG presented a detailed report to the council outlining problems, solutions, graphs and balance sheets and concerns over council spending and management.

At question time, one councillor said he read the report three times trying to find any solutions – real solutions – and he could not find any.

There were plenty of solutions in the written and verbal presentation report – suggestions where to save, decrease debt, delay or defer wellbeing projects and keep to the vital infrastructure basics.

It was astonishing that this councillor couldn’t acknowledge/recognise these  sound solutions.

One councillor said the council could not address governments planned local government changes, initially proposed in August, until official legislation was passed. It appears wellbeing projects such as Mitchell Park and Rex Morpeth Park could remain on council agenda until formal legislation is passed.

I hope council will cancel these non-essentials now based on the December 16 announcement.

I hope councillors will also work more harmoniously.

I consider all councillors have their hearts in their jobs, but some have not got their head around the extreme economic circumstances we are experiencing, and they are trying to please everyone.