‘Caring society’ main concern

Press, 20 November 1981, Page 21

‘Caring society’ main concern

Labour’s candidate, Mr David Close, is committed to “building a caring society, with practical policies for health, education, full employment, housing, and a fairer distribution of wealth.” Buying a house, he says, is beyond most young couples unless both partners work. The Government must ensure that plenty of houses are built for rental and ownership, and must provide money at reasonable terms. Taxation is a widespread concern, with an almost universal complaint that people

on ordinary incomes are not only paying more but are paying a higher proportion of income in tax.

People with families are resentful that there is no tax rebate for teen-age children, who are more expensive to support than younger children. Mr Close says that local issues are the smog problem, the intrusion of car-parks into residential areas, and heavy traffic volumes. A cut in subsidies from the National Roads Board means that local authorities are falling years behind in their programmes of reading improvement and traffic management.

He is critical of the Government’s delay in developing Christchurch Airport, and resents the Government’s decision to subsidise Wellington Airport from fees collected at Christchurch. Mr Close, who is 45, is married, with three children. He has degrees in Latin and political science, and teaches English at Christchurch Boys’ High School. He has been a Christchurch City councillor since 1977 and is chairman of the council’s works and traffic committee.

MRS LOUISE MOORE.