Amalgamation ultimatum

Press, 28 December 1987, Page 5

Amalgamation ultimatum

PA Wellington The Local Government Commission has given stalling councils a “last chance” to agree to amalgamation before the Government acted to force the issue. The chairman of the commission, Mr Brian Elwood, said local government restructuring would be completed in time for the October, 1989,' elections. He did not mention specific areas, but said the Government had signalled its clear intention to have the restructuring completed in time. There would be changes to the Local Government Act to ensure

this. They were likely to be introduced to Parliament in March. Mr Elwood said one likely area of change in the legislation would be to the polling and survey provisions that most often extended the amalgamation process. “The commission wants to be the advocate for reasonable, agreed proposals,” he said. “We would far rather do this than be a conveyor of compulsory decisions.” Local bodies which refused to budge could not expect to win. He highlighted the recently agreed scheme for dissolution of Hutt County Council as a model for the other bodies.

“Three councils sorted out their differences in the right spirit and came up with an agreed proposal they can each be happy with,” he said. “Unfortunately many local bodies don’t approach the issue in the same rational way.” ‘ He hoped councils and ad hoc authorities that fought hard against amalgamation would take careful note of the signals being put out by the Government. "They are being given what amounts to a last chance to agree. If they don’t, they will have' a decision imposed on them,” he said. Eighty per cent of local bodies grappling with

amalgamation had accepted the inevitable. The other 20 per cent lacked vision and were causing the problems. These bodies could not hope to win in a confrontation with the Government.