DIRECT CONTROL

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 95, 23 April 1945, Page 6

DIRECT CONTROL

OVER LOCAL BODIES CASE FOR AMALGAMATION Evidence in favour of the formation of a Greater Auckland was submitted to the Parliamentary Committee on Local Government this morning by Mr. H. P. Burton, chairman of the Auckland City Council's housing committee, who said he was speaking in a personal capacity. His experience showed that every physical and economic aspect of local government in urban areas resolved itself into a town planning matter, said Mr. Burton. There were no compulsory provisions in existing town planning legislation requiring every local authority within an area to participate 'in a joint scheme. Present System's Disadvantages Obvious disadvantages inherent in the present system were: The reluctance of some individual authorities to participate in a regional scheme; the difficulty in obtaining a concensus of agreement among participating local authorities to the provisions of the scheme; a reluctance by some of the local authorities to adopt the scheme in their own part as a basis for the v preparation of their individual statutory schemes; inequality of performance in the administration of the several statutory schemes by the respective local authorities; serious and protratced delays in getting into operation statutory schemes comprising regional or metropolitan schemes. He therefore submitted as a general principle, said Mr. Burton, that all local government functions of an over-riding nature in a metropolitan area should be under a unified control. All matters of a purely local nature should remain in the jurisdiction of the respective local authorities within the area. Variation in Development Mr. Burton said there was at present a variation in control development between the city and local authorities and some of the local authorities were allowing factories to be established in their areas without due consideration of zoning or planning principles. By-laws outside the city were less stringent than the city's by-laws. At its meeting on Thursday next the council would have before it the adoption of by-laws designed to make minimum standards for all houses and apartment houses within its area. Mr. Burton quoted the example of the Greater Brisbane scheme, which involved the replacement of 19 local authorities, comprising 205 members, by a council of 21 members. Auckland's real problem was exactly the same as Brisbane's had been in 1932, he said. The New Lynn council was pared to accept much of what he had outlined. Bodies Affected His submissions were:— (1) That the whole of the local bodies contiguous to the city from Papatoetoe in the south, to Henderson in the north form the basis of an amalgamation of Greater Auckland, together with the North Shore boroughs.. (2) That in addition to such amalgamation, the area from Mercer to Helensviile be brought under the direct control of the metropolitan authority so amalgamated, for the purpose only of administrating the physical aspect of local government in these areas, the areas so designated to administer their own local government. It should be provided, however, that as and when the local authority itself, the Greater Auckland amalgamation, or the Government, considered that the time had arrived for the amalgamation of these boroughs in the greater scheme that provision,be so made. Further, to the ad hoc bodies, the Power Board and the Transport Board, legislating provision be made to absorb these bodies within three years of the commencement of the amalgamated body. He suggested that the Government prepare a bill to give effect to his submissions. . v : .. \■ . • '.'■.'