Labour calls for Council-Government truce

It is time for the Christchurch City Council and Government to call a truce after another Council decision appears set to be vetoed, says Labour’s Earthquake Recovery spokesperson Lianne Dalziel.

“Yet again the Council and Government are at loggerheads. The current skirmish is over the future of the Town Hall, which the Council has unanimously decided to save.

“The Government said it was waiting for the Council’s decision on the fate of the Town Hall. Now it says the Town Hall has to fit within its Blueprint and the performing arts precinct is elsewhere.

“I can understand the council decision. We have lost so much already. Unlike the other buildings that have been in the public arena, the Christchurch Town Hall belongs to the council. They consulted on saving it during the Annual Plan process and there was support for doing so.”

Lianne Dalziel said that it was the people who were the missing voice.

“The people of Christchurch were truly inspired by the council’s Share an Idea campaign which elicited thousands of responses.  These were distilled into a plan that was consulted on and improved.

“The Government then took that plan behind closed doors for 100 days and released the Blueprint they had designed with public fanfare but no public input.

“We can afford to take time with the Christchurch Town Hall.  There is no rush.

“We are calling on the Government and the council to model the open, consultative process that will enable people to have a real say about our city.”