Committee recommends action on Communications Audit
4 September 2012
Committee recommends action on Communications Audit
Christchurch City Council's Community, Recreation and Culture Committee today recommended the Council take a range of actions in response to the Communications Audit Review.
Committee Chair Yani Johanson says: "These issues are critical for our city in normal times, and even more so as we recover and rebuild after the earthquakes.
"The Communication Audit Report commissioned by the Mayor and Chief Executive raised a number of areas that needed improvement. Good communications, engagement and transparency are essential for a good recovery. I am hopeful that a number of actions today recommended by the Committee to Council will help change the culture of the organisation to serve our citizens better than before."
The Committee's recommendations
include:
* Staff facilitate a workshop for the Council to
agree a new vision and recovery priorities for the city.
Staff would then work on a communications strategy to inform
residents about his vision and priorities.
* Committee
chairs have responsibility to speak formally on portfolio
matters and the Charter be amended to allow them to speak on
issues relevant to the committee terms of reference.
* Staff initiate a process for monitoring and responding
to requests in a timely manner.
* A working party be set
up to review current Communication Policy, Your Council Your
Voice resource and the Civics Education Resource.
* Staff
to arrange a meeting with Community Boards, CERA, EQC, CCDU,
SCIRT, UDS partners and Cancern with the aim of producing a
draft action plan on how governance and communications can
work more effectively and coherently.
* Staff to prepare
a draft engagement strategy, including regular public
forums.
* A working party be set up to look at online
communications tools.
* Additional regular meetings are
requested with key recovery agencies.
* Fortnightly
meetings are requested with the Canterbury Earthquake
Recovery Minister and Associate Minister.
* Council
request the CEO establish a Councillors' office to provide
administrative support and assistance to
Councillors.
* The CEO Subcommittee review the CEO's
performance agreement and set KPIs on improving delivery of
communications and public engagement.
* Council workshops
are open to the public as a default and are only held in
public excluded where a good justification exists.
The Committee considered a number of other reports at today's meetings and recommendations to Council are outlined below.
Committee responds to residents
The Committee
heard deputations from two groups of residents and made the
following recommendations to the Council as a
result:
* That the Council have a discussion with CERA
about the possibility of retaining the red-zoned W.A. Sutton
House in Templar Street, Richmond, following a deputation
from the property owner and others.
* That the Council
urgently asks the CEO for a delay in the demolition of the
A&C sections of 36 Welles Street so the buildings can be
considered for a Central City arts project.
Heritage
reports considered
The Committee considered reports on
number of heritage matters and will recommend that the
Council:
* Transfer $300,000 from the 2012/13 Heritage
Incentive Grant fund pool to the Canterbury Earthquake
Heritage Buildings Fund Trust for distribution within
Christchurch.
* Approve a Heritage Incentive Grant of up
to $240,000 for conservation and maintenance work for the
McKenzie and Willis façade at 236 Tuam Street, subject to a
conservation covenant.
* Advise the Ministry of Culture
and Heritage that Christchurch City Council's current
heritage work programme supports the retention of heritage
buildings.
Tsunami siren report received
The Committee
received a report on Tsunami Sirens and Civil Defence and
recommended the Council defer the staff recommendation to
install additional tsunami sirens until after a Council
workshop is held.
The full Committee agenda, include staff
reports referred to above, are available online at:
http://www1.ccc.govt.nz/council/agendas/2012/september/crc4th/full_crc_agenda.pdf