A member’s bill drawn from the ballot today will make it easier for people to deal with councils by reducing costs and the amount of time involved, Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean says.

The Local Government (Customer Focus) Amendment Bill amends the Local Government Act 2002 to require that local authorities promote a customer focus to delivering public services and regulatory functions.

“The biggest hassle people face with councils is the unnecessary bureaucratic burden that come with things like resource consent applications. This frustration often stems from a lack of customer focus within the wider system.

“My amendments to the bill will require councils to take more of a partnership approach to dealing with people rather than simply requesting forms to be filled in, over and over again.

“One example of how this could be done is through appointing case managers for resource consents, so there is one point of contact for applicants to deal with.

“Improving the services provided by local government is part of National’s focus on building a more productive, competitive economy and delivering better public services.”

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