Mayoral candidate explains Labour’s local body policy

Press, 30 July 1986, Page 9

Mayoral candidate explains Labour’s local body policy

It was a formidable task the Christchurch Mayoral candidate, Cr Alex Clark, set his Labour local body team last evening. He told the 90 party candidates and curious ratepayers at last evening’s opening of the Labour local body campaign that Labour had a 10-point plan for Christchurch. It would establish new ward committees for the Christchurch City Council and promote a safe, clean city. It would: ® Remove the uniform charge on rates and the supply charge on power. 9 Make Christchurch a fun city. • Present a new deal for Cathedral Square. 9 Oppose motorways. 9 Restore business confidence in the central city. 9 Improve older suburbs. 9 Make the payment of council accounts as easy as possible. 9 Disclose the vested interests of councillors. The audience met these promises with applause, particularly Cr Clark’s comment that Christ-

church was one city and one people. Cr Clark said his party would set up ward committees as soon as it became the council. These would give residents an opportunity for an effective link with the council. The committees would review the priorities of council spending in their wards.

Labour would ensure that a full network of neighbourhood support groups was in place within three years.

Labour would reintroduce community dumper bins (the skips scheme was shelved by the council last year) and work hard to control litter so that Christchurch again deserved the title the Garden City.

Cr Clark said Labour believed the $l5O uniform charge in City Council rates was unjust. The council had given in to "the 7 per cent powerful rich” and given working people and others on fixed budgets an impossible rates burden this year, he said. Labour would abolish

the charge in the next two years and seek Government legislation against its reintroduction. It would also do away with the electricity supply charge. Labour would also press for rates rebates to be increased and for changes in the rating system. It would do this by more stringent financial controls and ensuring that the Government paid its rates on its properties and by expanding into commercial activity that would produce income.

The party would develop Christchurch’s image as a fun city with free concerts in Cathedral Square and inner city in the summer lunch hours, he said. Grants to cultural groups would be dependent on their support of the free concert programme. The Square would get a facelift and the slippery red tiles also, Cr Clark said.

“There is not much point in improving safety in the Square when the tiles present such a hazard in wet weather,” he said. The Square had to

be an exciting, challenging, and a safe place for city dwellers and visitors. Bringing people and activities back into the Square was the only longterm answer to crime and violence.

Labour would open up the Square this coming summer to anyone who wants to “do their thing” for a week to see what activities were staged. Part of the fun city image was activity such as that provided by "Summer Times.”

Labour was totally opposed to motorways destroying inner-city communities, Cr Clark said. Remaining motorway designations would be abandoned if Labour had its way.

It would ensure that parking limitations would not destroy inner-city businesses. Labour would entertain an approach from retailers for a system of parking by tokens or a system of meter feeders.

Labour would work hard to improve older suburbs and would establish a special “old gutters

and potholed footpath” workforce. A Labour council would vigorously review all council expenditure, especially the high spending works and traffic area, Cr Clark said. It was time to shift the emphasis in spending to the suburbs. Labour would adopt a system of “even” payments for council rates and electricity bills, without any penalty for late payment. The power bill presented would be based on the average fortnightly or monthly cost for the previous year.

“The bureaucrats have been telling us for years it cannot be done. We will make it happen,” he said.

Labour would take the new political initiative of having its candidates announce their property and company interests because voters had a right to know the vested interests of their councillors.

A Labour council would have regard to other cultures and would allow week-end burials at special rates, Cr Clark said.