Mayor wants amalgamation of bodies

Press, 13 February 1988, Page 34

Mayor wants amalgamation of bodies

The Mayor of Riccarton, Mr Dick Harrington, was in the unusual position of advocating the amalgamation of local bodies.

He argued that the Christchurch combined district committee and the regional civil defence committee of the Canterbury United Council should merge. “I have always thought it was crazy to, have two lots of staff working on the same thing,” he said. Mr Harrington is a strong opponent of forced amalgamation of Canterbury territorial authorities, favoured by the Government.

At the meeting of the C.U.C.’s regional civil defence committee yesterday, councillors voted to accept a reorganisation of the civil defence districts.

The committee will as- ; sume the responsibilities for civil defence in the ' greater Christchurch area, doing away with the Christchurch combined

district committee. The C.U.C. committee will also co-ordinate a regional plan, but a North Canterbury district and West Canterbury-Banks Peninsula district will remain separate. The merger of the two committees would mean staff would no longer serve two masters, said the chief executive of the C.U.C., Mr Malcolm Douglass.

“We will get a more effective (civil defence) plan and a livelier organisation through the merger,” he said.

“There will be a better service to the public at large.” The larger organisation would be more efficient with the area getting a better service, said Mr Harrington. The regional civil defence committee approved the budget for the 1988-89 financial year. Expenditure of $147,370, after a proposed $7500 risk analysis study was dropped, was approved.