Going to the people

Press, 19 April 1980, Page 14

Going to the people

Residents of Mount Her- ] bert County have little excuse for not attending at least one of their council’s ; meetings this year. , For the convenience of constituents, and to' attract greater : public participation, ; the council has decided to hold some of its monthly < . meetings at different venues in the county. The first such break from < tradition • was a meeting at . i the Port Levy Community, .. Centre on March 31.: Accord- < ing to the County Chairman i (Mrs 'E. iKi .Gardiner),

public turnout was good About 20 people sat in on the council’s -deliberations, and after- the meeting an informal question and answer session was held. ’■ “We felt- (hat rthey learnl a loti-and-.we learnt a lot from them;” said Mrs Gardiner.'?'-' '■ ■:> She said that moving the meetings about had been de ctded' upon ■ after residents indicated that holding them at the council i .-room in Church* Bay, in the afternoon, was' inconvenient. ' Mount Herbert; has a pop-

ulation of about 1000 and Is rated as either the secondsmallest or third-smallest county in New Zealand. It was therefore easy to determine, through local groups and community centres, suitable meeting venues and times, said Mrs Gardiner. She said that the move was not intended simply as an election-year ploy; it was hoped that it would continue. The council’s June meeting, which will be held at the Governor’s Bay Community Centre on the evening of June 30, is expectec to attract the biggest crowc of spectators. The August meeting will also be held in the evening, at the Rapaki meeting hall, while it is hoped that Church Bay and Charteris Bay residents will be able to attend an evening meeting at the council room in November.