News Release

We have a City Council without a Mayor - Local Government Commission Dog breakfast

Massey Community Board Chairman, John Riddell, believes that the Local Government Commission has sold Massey residents down the river, by providing for one local board, and for Massey to be represented on that board by two people.

We now have a City Council known as a Local Board, without a Mayor.

Massey is the fastest growing area in Waitakere, the residents and ratepayers of the area need representation, people who will stand up to the unelected bureaucrats.

Massey goes from having five elected Community Board members and four Councillors representing approximately 5500 people each, to two members representing 19900 each. On top Massey looses Ranui to Henderson which becomes a board of 80000 people, with only four elected members on the local board.

The Local Board is far to large, with nine elected members representing 18800 people per elected member.

The average sub division across the Auckland region under the Commissions proposals sees an elected Board member representing 12900 people each, while most of the proposed Boards will represent 8000 people each.

Local Government representation is being able to talk to, touch, hear, breath and stand next to local government politicians at the supermarket checkout, says Mr Riddell.

If we accept the local government commission draft, our local government politicians will be more remote than our MPs.

However the dog breakfast can be fixed, what we need is two maybe three local boards out west, and some extra boards in other parts of Auckland.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

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