Local governance submission focuses on the 'local'

 No publicised submission to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Auckland governance has focused on the need for local councils like the submission from the Employers and Manufacturers Association (Northern), or EMA.

“In line with EMA’s constant advocating for the best regulatory and infrastructure environment in which to do business, our submission focuses on a governance structure which encourages input from all individuals, including business people, as the way ahead to achieve improved economic growth and social cohesion, with simple and transparent processes,” says EMA chief executive, Alasdair Thompson.

“We have delivered our submission today and it’s as thick as a telephone book. One quarter of that is made up of comments from the public obtained during our Fix Auckland awareness-raising campaign last year, who gave constructive and passionate views about what they want their city to be like.

“And we say city, not region, because most of them believe, like us, that we are just one city, not seven. But we also believe in the need to balance an empowered city regional government with approximately 21 small new Local Councils to make decisions about local community issues.

“Has anyone else bothered to ask what the person in the street wants? And what their experiences of dysfunction have been? Well, we have, and we are making those comments clear to the Commission.

“The competitive and non communicative nature of our councils in the region, plus their fragmented infrastructure bodies, are slowing growth and increasing social and cultural divisions. This is costing us dearly.

“We strongly believe in regional decisions being made at regional level by an expanded Greater Auckland Council, with one mayor elected at large – not unlike many other publicised submissions.

“But where we differ from some is in our emphasising the need for local decisions made by small locally elected Local Councils that have more power than current community boards. The issues they advocate for and have budgets for and levy a local rate for, include amenities such as libraries, local parks and playgrounds, community events and local traffic.

“The names and boundaries of these Local Councils should be decided by the community or an independent commission. But for simplicity’s sake, our submission is modeled on 21 Local Councils aligned with the current Parliamentary electorates. Each Local Council needs to have five locally elected councilors, in addition to the 21 councillors representing the region on the Greater Auckland Council.

“The Local Councillors liaise closely with the local Member of Parliament, the Greater Auckland Council and the Greater Auckland Councillor elected from their area.

“Both regional and local councilors would be served by a single management structure or bureaucracy of Greater Auckland Council officers. But within this office would be a division responsible for local amenity management, as distinct from the division managing regional assets and infrastructure.

“One rates bill would be distributed to each ratepayer, incorporating all local and regional charges.

“This would achieve high governance productivity across greater Auckland and balance that by putting the local back into local government at the Local Council community level, thereby creating a governance structure capable of creating a world class urban region.”