Mayor asks for further consultation on community houses

Mayor Ray Wallace has asked Council officers to undertake further consultation on the future of community houses and centres across the city.

At last night’s Community and Infrastructure Services Committee meeting a review of community houses and centres was tabled.

The officers’ review was rejected by the Mayor as he says more needs to be done to find out what the people of Lower Hutt think about community houses/centres and the way they are used.

“As a Council it is important that we listen to our community and in this case I think we can do a better job.

“The aim of the review is to look at the effectiveness of existing services and programmes to ensure the houses and centres continue to meet the needs of our communities.

“That’s why I’ve requested a new round of consultation because the community is at the heart of this debate,” he says.

Lower Hutt has 11 community houses/centres spread across the city which provide access to a range of community and social services, as well as a place for local groups to meet. They are Council owned, and the programmes and services they offer are managed by a local committee.