Hutt Local Bodies

Hutt News has an article on whether the local candidates support local body amalgamation.

I am an advocate of amalgamation. It does not have to mean less local control, because the best models overseas strengthen the role of community boards with regards to making decisions solely affecting their local community – but allows one regional body to run services across the region.

Sadly all the local candidates have said they do not support any amalgamations. But there was one candidate at least prepared to question the status quo:

The sitting Hutt South MP admits he “sometimes wonders” why the Hutt and Upper Hutt councils remain separate.  “It doesn’t seem that logical to me.”

That is because it isn’t.

But they’re steadily increasing the number of issues they co-operate on anyway, and restructuring can sometimes involve so much “fighting, expense and uncertainty” it’s not worth it.

He notes that constituents don’t come to his electorate clinics clamouring for the two councils to amalgamate.

I give Trevor some marks for at least questioning the status quo, even though in the end he backs it.