Extra responsibilities for United Council?

Press, 30 August 1984, Page 3

Extra responsibilities for United Council?

The Canterbury United Council will acquire more responsibilities over the next five years, which might include its taking a more active role in supporting the use of Canterbury’s resources, according to a report considered at a United Council meeting yesterday.

The report, by the United Council’s chief executive, Mr Malcolm Douglass, covers the four months of the council’s life after it gained administrative independence on February 1 this year. Entitled “The First Four Months,” the report reviews the work of the council since becoming an independent organisation, and covers its functions, relationships, and future potential. Two other functions might be taken over by the United Council during the next five years, as well as the resources initiative. These were allocating funds from the Government to regional works and services, and helping co-ordinate other regional activities, including recreational and cultural pursuits. These extra responsibilities and the change in emphasis accompanying them could lead to an increase in the United Council’s influence. They would be additional to the council’s tradi-

tional functions such as regional planning, civil defence, and urban transport, the report said. At least 26 councillors from constituent local authorities supported an active role for the council in the future, provided it performed adequately and achieved its work targets. Individual councillors and councils still expressed doubts about the value of the council, and this had to be countered by United Council staff attending council meetings around the region.

“This will give an opportunity to put the record straight, and to establish the value of the United Council in the eyes of each constituent council.” As the “voice of the region,” the United Council would have increased 'contact with the central Government in the future. It was important to continue dialogue on council policies with well prepared submissions favouring support for the Canterbury region. Some successes resulting from liaison with the Government included airport runway extensions, forestry, and unemployment. It was hoped that an annual “regijfcal forum” involving United Council officers and Cabinet Ministers, could be

established in future. About two-thirds of United Council professional staff were involved in regional planning at present, and the rest were involved in urban transport and traffic. Additional outside specialists would become necessary as the council gained extra functions, and staff size and balance would need to be reappraised. Several policies should be adopted by the council in future. These included: ® Emphasis on policy-mak-ing, regional initiatives, and strategic planning during the next five years. ® Membership in the immediate future should continue to be from constituent councils, rather than by direct election. ® Maintaining an overview of the funding of new regional facilities. • Specifying organisations best suited to implementing regional objectives and policies. • Pressing for recognition by the Government of its role. ® Asking for an annual allocation of Government funds to agreed regional activities. • Encouraging voluntary restructuring of regional local authorities, where this improved operations.