Views on commission

Press, 18 June 1986, Page 8

Views on commission

The Opposition spokesman on local government told a public meeting in Christchurch last evening that the best thing for the Local Government Commission was to “make it history” as soon as possible. Mr Warren Cooper told the meeting, called by the Heathcote County Council, that National politicians felt the commission should be stopped.

He said the National caucus had not discussed abolishing the commission, but many National politicians felt that that should happen. National as the Government would certainly alter the present undemocratic poll provisions, Mr Cooper said. No Government that had interfered in local government had stayed in office more than one

term, the Mayor of Riccarton, Mr Richard Harrington, told the meeting. Amalgamation was intended to put control of local government in Wellington in the hands of political parties, he said. The idea of community councils as part of the merged city had been dropped by the Christchurch City Council once Cr Alex Clark, the Labour leader, joined the amalga-

mation talks on the death of Cr Rex Lester. He had stated that community councils were politically unacceptable to himself and his party, Mr Harrington said. The Labour Party intended to put up a metro-politan-wide platform of party candidates after amalgamation, said the Waimairi County chairman, Mrs Margaret Murray.