Local Government “Is Medieval And Ridiculous”

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31774, 3 September 1968, Page 19

Local Government “Is Medieval And Ridiculous”

The retiring District Commissioner of Works (Mr D. B. Dallas) believes that the present “medieval and ridiculous” system of local government should be overhauled, that proposals to amalgamate metropolitan local authorities are a denial of people’s democratic rights, and that the constitution of the Christchurch Regional Planning Authority is hopelessly cumbersome and inadequate.

‘ “There is widespread agreement that local government is in need of reform or reorganisation,” he said. This state of affairs has been debated for years, but whenever a proposal for reform is made almost invariably it is defeated. It has been said that the defeats are due to well-organised minorities, but they might also be due to thoroughly unconvinced and apathetic majorities. “In their existing form local territorial councils composed of elected members are traditional and suitable institutions for giving formal identity and recognition to a local community. Local councillors should be well known to their electors and be able to identify themselves with local requirements and aspirations and give them articulate expression.

“The larger the population the less possible this becomes except on very broad issues.

“The idea that small boroughs in metropolitan areas

should be compelled to amalgamate to form units of about 100,000 people is surely unacceptable in a democracy,” he said. “It is a direct contravention of accepted rights of free people to unite in units of their own choosing and to elect representatives of their own choosing provided they pay for the privilege. “Unfortunately, many local councils were obsessed with the idea of ‘do it yourself’ and for some functions had extended their activities outside their territorial limits. “This is probably the main cause of inefficiency and stagnation in the local government system and the main reason that many urban communities are condemned to live in an environment that is steadily deteriorating under the enormous pressures of growth and decay.”

Mr Dallas said he believed 100,000 was the maximum population group that could be effectively represented by a truly local council, and the optimum size would be under 50,000. Having the optimum size, local councils should be restricted to providing services within their own boundaries.

Erosion of Control

“The dire forecasts regarding erosion of local control are the cries of the parochialists obsessed with the idea of autonomy rather than efficiency,” he said. “They wave aside the fact that many local councils are thoroughly ill equipped with ideas, money, organisation structure and authority to act as effective implementing agents of the central government

"While local government clings to an established and outdated organisation struc-

ture that by universal acceptance is unable to cope with present needs, how can anything other than erosion of authority be expected? The whole idea is in fact medieval and ridiculous. “It is time to look beyond this narrowest of horizons and work towards a competent and creative partnership between local and central government at regional level. There is no reason, apart from prejudice, why the initiative in this respect cannot be taken at local government level.”

The only administrative form that fitted the modern are was the loose structure of separate and virtually autonomous local councils bound together by a limited number of well-managed and co-ordinated basic function regional authorities and a circulatory system that made all parts of the metropolis easily accessible. Planning Authority Mr Dallas said that his description of the Regional Planning Authority as hopelessly cumbersome and inadequate was no reflection on either staff or members. Its faults were inherent in its constitution. Whereas members of the authority representing public services and utilities could only express opinions and not vote, full members of the authority could retain their seats onlv by saving what pleased their local councils. “This means there is some real difficulty about taking positive and progressive decisions in the regional interest. A collection of local opinions does not produce a broad regional outlook, which requires an independent, uncommitted membership,” he said.

“It is pure chance if any voting member happens to have the right qualifications or experience for deciding the regional issues.”

Mr Dallas suggested legi'lation to specify about 25 regional boundaries each containing eight authorities to deal with such matters as lands, building control and rating; transport: health: water supply and waste disposal: water control and soil conservation: education, social, culture and recreation; power and fuel: civil defence. Over the authorities should be a co-ordinating commission to ensure that the wishes of the community as expounded by local bodies were carried out. The commission would ensure that proper planning of annual programmes and longterm development had been undertaken and that satisfactory co-ordination had taken place in the process. It would also ensure that each regional authority had consulted Ideal councils about development plans and settle any disputes between the two.

It would have to approve regional development programmes and be a statutory recommending authority to the Local Authorities Loans Board. It would determine the priority rating for local or regional authority loan fin-

ance related to available resources, including manpower. It could act for the Town and Country Planning Appeal Board on matters of local significance and replace the Local Government Commission in matters of territorial boundary adjustments. Mr Dallas said that If a transfer of authority resulted in loss of jurisdiction to some councils the reaction would tend to ,be towards amalgamation.

“Thus the result that is sometimes desirable could be achieved not by compulsion from without but by demand from within in order to preserve the status and efficiency of the territorial unit system.”

County Amalgamations

He suggested that county amalgamations should be accompanied by a taking over as county towns of all independent boroughs under 10,000 population. When a borough exceeded 10,000 but remained under 20,000 it would remain a county town as headquarters of the county. Rangiora could be the centre of a new strong county that embraced the present counties of Kowai, Ashley, Oxford, Eyre and Rangiora. Rangiora would be a county town and remain so until its population exceeded 20,000. Amberley and Kaiapoi would become county towns.

The present population of the combined area was fewer than 20,000 and would not exceed 100,000 for many years.

The new Rangiora county council would share administration with regional authorities and act as executive agent for them. South of the Waimakariri River the whole of the Waimairi county and part of the Paparua county would become metropolitan boroughs but remain within the urban fence of the regional city of Christchurch. The rest of Paparua would join with all other county territory between the Waimakariri and the Rakaia to form a new county region that could be named Selwyn with the headquarters in a new town planned from the outset arfd based on Rolleston.

Heathcote could exist as an independent county under the regional authority system until it decided its own fate. The three Banks Peninsula counties—Akaroa, Mount Her bert and Wairewa would (amalgamate to form the Banks Peninsula county or become part of Selwyn. Akaroa and Diamond Harbour could be county towns. Lyttelton could be headquarters of the Peninsula county or exist as an independent borough. Such adjustments would form four strong county units between the Waipara River and the Rangitata.

Mr Dallas will retire from the Ministry of Works on September 30 after 43 years seivice. Besides being district commissioner with the control of spending s2om a year, Mr Dallas has held personal appointments to nine ad hoc authorities in Canterbury.