MEDIA RELEASE
Greater local powers must come with great responsibility

16 JULY 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Proposed devolution of tax-and-spend powers to the local level must come hand in hand with better quality governance and clearer accountability to ratepayers, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says, “In theory, we support these ideas of ‘localism’ – Wellington lacks first-hand knowledge of local needs. Unfortunately, many local politicians and bureaucrats will be seeking more powers without commensurate accountability to ratepayers."

“Local councils lack the same level of media and institutional oversight as central government. So, in order to trust them with more spending powers, we should also introduce new oversight to ensure quality and integrity. This could include duties of political neutrality for council staff, greater transparency around elected members’ financial interests, and greater access to official information held by councils.”

“We could also introduce clearer limitations on the actual scope of local government – such as a requirement for councils to actually use new revenue sources on core infrastructure, rather than just pet projects.”

ENDS

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