Guidelines on local govt reform known today

Press, 12 July 1988, Page 7

Guidelines on local govt reform known today

By

KAY FORRESTER

This afternoon New Zealand’s local authorities will know the Government’s reform guidelines for changes to the country’s local government.

The introduction to Parliament of those guidelines will trigger a rapid reform process giving the Local Government Commission less than 12 months to set up reorganisation schemes for the whole country. The guidelines will be announced as a schedule to the Local Government Amendment Bill at present between its second and third readings. The bill was introduced to the House in March with the purpose of in-

creasing the powers of the commission to effect reform. The timetable for reform set by the Government was:

February, 1988: Discussion document issued by Officials Co-ordinating Committee on Local Government, explaining reasons for reform and inviting submissions.

March: Minister for Local Government introduces Amendment Bill into House.

April 8: Submissions on discussion document close.

April 22: Closing date for submissions on the bill itself.

July 12: Policy guidelines announced for Local

Government Commission. July: Commission begins work on reform schemes. Work on legislation to effect policy begins. December: Policy legislation to be introduced. June, 1989: Commission must have completed reorganisation schemes for implementation. June: Enactment policy legislation. October: Local body elections. The Minister for Local Government, Dr Bassett, has repeatedly confirmed the Government’s commitment to this timetable.

Changes have been made to the bill since its first reading. These include the deletion of the

clause providing for an Order-in-Council to specify the policies binding on the commission and the matters to be taken into account in reform schemes.

That change came after protests from almost all the 903 submissions to the select committee on the bill about this means of setting the framework for reform.

Instead, the Government decided to introduce the guidelines as a supplementary schedule to the bill.

The Opposition, which has termed the bill “most undemocratic, unconstitutional and repugnant,” has pledged its continuing opposition to it.