Church group urges council to help poor

Press, 27 May 1981, Page 1

Church group urges council to help poor

Christchurch councillors should use their influence to seek power-bill rebates for people suffering genuine hardship, said the Christchurch Council of Churches yesterday. A deputation told the City Council’s public utilities committee yesterday that it was worried about the suffering caused many people by the rapid rise in costs of essential services. The problem of high power prices created others— electricity use was cut back in spite of cold weather, health problems became worse, people stayed in bed longer simply to stay warm, and standards of- food and dress were lowered because of costs. “Churches are increasingly coming across cases of genuine need and suffering because people are not able to afford the power they need,” said the Rev. Robert Coates, vice-chair-man of the Council of Churches. He realised that the law did not permit rebates for some people and not others, but leadership was needed to get the law changed. “This has a dehumanising effect on people in a society considered affluent,” said Mrs Dorothea McKenzie, a church council executive member. Mr Neville Rush, another executive member, said a double burden was put on those who least could afford it. Higher power charges were reflected in higher prices of other goods and services.

The committee agreed to'

work with the church council on a rebate remit to the September annual conference of the Electrical Supply Authorities Association.

But the committee’s chairman, Cr Rex Lester, said the council had already done its best to persuade the Government to lower power charges. “Our previous stand did not receive much support from surrounding local authorities.” he said. Cr Lester said the local move’s impact would be greater “if the Government saw a region acting positively.” Sir Robert Macfarlane said the church council should also back the City Council by writing to the Minister of Energy (Mr Birch) with its case. Fie emphasised, as did other councillors, that a rebate system could be difficult to administer. “A rebate scheme can be abused as well as used,” said Sir Robert.

Mrs McKenzie said the church council realised there had to be a way to guard against people trying to beat the system. 'Mr Coates said that coin meters were “a step in the right direction,” but not a solution. “If you haven’t any money, it does not matter whether you have a slot machine,” he said.

The elderly and infirm, and the chronically ill, were most in need of help with their power bills, said Mr Coates. But large families, the unemployed, and other low-income people also had genuine hardship.