Labour local government spokesperson Judith Tizard said the Act Party has extended its slash and burn policies to local government - taking choice away from communities.

"In its local government policy released today, the party is telling communities that 'Act knows best'. They want to cut social services like health and housing and they want local government restricted to a 'no social service agenda' as well," Judith Tizard said.

"They are absolutely void of community spirit.

"By contrast, Labour wants to give more power and decision making to communities.

"Our local government policy released last week sets this out clearly.

"We will overhaul local government legislation to remove a lot of the unnecessary complications so that it sets out essential services which local government needs to supply to their communities, such as access to clean water at a reasonable cost. The legislation should also set out the process by which local government authorities are elected and the process by which they make decisions and consult with their communities. After that, they should be left to get on with the job and to provide their communities with the services and leadership their communities want them to provide.

"Labour wants to give local government proper opportunity to be truly representative of their communities and address their needs. Act wants everyone else to succumb to its own selfish agenda where there will be no local services or community infrastructure," Judith Tizard said.

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>