Mayor welcomes progress on graffiti bill

Legislation empowering Hutt City Council to remove graffiti on private property has passed its first reading and been referred to select committee.

Mayor Ray Wallace says he’s thrilled with the progress of the Hutt City Council Grafitti Removal Bill which received unanimous support from MPs last night.

“I want to acknowledge the efforts of the bill’s sponsor, Hutt South MP Trevor Mallard, and all the parliamentarians who supported this bill.

“The bill is a significant addition to our arsenal in our war against graffiti,” says Mayor Wallace.

“Our community has made it clear that they don’t want this vandalism in their neighbourhoods and the council’s response has been firm and decisive. We’ve appointed a graffiti eradication officer and introduced a number of programmes to help combat graffiti. This bill will further empower our officers.”

Mayor Wallace says Hutt City Council has worked closely with other councils in the region on this issue and will be pleased with this outcome too.