C.U.C. interest in legal moves

Press, 2 December 1987, Page 8

C.U.C. interest in legal moves

Canterbury’s United Council will take a close interest in Wellington legal moves to block post office closings there. The Wellington 'Regional Council is planning to take legal action this week to test whether the closings comply with a provision of the Stateowned Enterprises Act, the “Evening Post” reports from Wellington. The act says the enterprises have to be profitable and that they have to have a social responsibility. A legal opinion has been given to the Wellington council, and it has sought access under the Official Information Act to material which provided the basis for the decision on the closings.

The test ■ will be whether the Minister of State-owned Enterprises, Mr Prebble, has acted lawfully in transferring the post offices to the State enterprises and then discontinuing the subsidies, without haying regard to the interests of the icnmmunitv.

The council’s chairman, Mr Stuart Macaskill, said that interest had been shown by other regional authorities round New Zealand.

The Canterbury United Council has 57 post offices within its region earmarked to close on February 5 and will send a submission to Mr Prebble, asking for some rural postal and banking services to be retained.

The chairman, Mrs Margaret Murray, said the council was concerned that some rural communities would be devastated by the loss of the post offices.

“It seems realistic that someone should hold the Government to account on the matter,” she said.

“If the Wellington Regional Council is prepared to make this move, I would say it is a very healthy public debate that should occur.”

Wellington did not need Canterbury’s support to take the case, though the Christchurch-based council <KOUId be taking} a nine a intArAct