Megan
WOODS

MP for Wigram

Associate Education (Christchurch) spokesperson

5 March 2014 MEDIA STATEMENT
Minister must factor in true cost of PPP

A Public-Private Partnership slated for Aranui Community School must factor in the additional costs to the local community, says Labour’s Christchurch education spokesperson Megan Woods.

“If the Minister is going to claim that the Government will only commit to a PPP where it offers the best value, she must factor in the additional costs for using facilities that were previously community controlled,” said Megan Woods.

“We know from the first school built under the PPP model in Auckland that the claimed savings for the Government are likely to be non-existent.

“We also know that community groups will find it more difficult to gain access to school facilities after-hours and, as the Ministry has previously confirmed, in some cases these groups will face additional costs for using school facilities.

“Any fair assessment of the value in adopting a private partnership for Aranui Community School would factor in these additional costs.

“For example, if this means after-hours adult and community education is lost or if local sports clubs are told they must pay to use these community facilities because the private provider said so, that needs to be considered.

“Labour believes our public schools are the centre of our communities and should remain in their hands.

“Strict contractual obligations that prevent the community from using school facilities are not part of Labour’s vision for rebuilding Christchurch,” said Megan Woods.

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