Promotion Council attacked

Press, 15 September 1988, Page 43

Promotion Council attacked

By

SUZANNE KEEN

A Waimairi District councillor says he is appalled at the "coldblooded atmosphere” he met at a recent Canterbury Promotion Council meeting. Cr Des King found himself shut out of most of the meeting because of a constitutional snag. He was asked to stand in at the meeting because Waimairi’s usual representatives, Cr Pat Harrow and Cr Bruce McFadden, could not attend. Cr Harrow had checked with another Promotion Council member and was told that a substitute would be allowed. However, Cr King said that he was telephoned by one of the officers a day before the meeting and told that the Promotion Council’s Constitution made no provision for substitutes. He could attend only for discussion involving any item initiated by Waimairi. Cr King said that once in the meeting he spoke about Waimairi’s suggestion that the Promotion Council discuss business in open meeting. “I went out of my way to give a presentation about having the press at our meetings and allowing our staff to reply to their questions... however, it was the most cold-blooded atmosphere I have ever heard.” Cr King said he thought the Promotion Council was 10 years behind the times.

Waimairi’s finance and policy committee will write to the Promotion Council and ask why Cr King was not allowed to attend the whole meeting when other authorities had appointed substitute representatives in the past.

The Promotion Council came in for a roasting from Waimairi about two months ago. Waimairi councillors said they had been given bad publicity for not agreeing to increase a grant to the Promotion Council by a requested amount. However, in spite of reservations, the Waimairi council decided to contribute the full $65,953. Work scheme The Waimairi District Chairman, Mrs Margaret Murray, criticised the Christchurch City Council for supporting what she said was “a glorified Access programme funded by the ratepayers.” The City Council was planning to pour $140,000 from rates into a scheme that would provide 500 10week work experience positions each year. Mrs Murray said that if all members of the Local Government Commission went round the country suggesting ratepayers “pick up the tab” for Government responsibilities, things would be “in a mess.” “If the function falls on the Government, that is where the funding should come from.” The City Council’s proposal stemmed from a suggestion by Cr Vickie Buck, who is also a .member of the commission. Toilets Waimairi intends to pay $25,000 towards building public toilets in the Nomads United soccer club’s Tulett Park clubrooms. The council recently approved the club’s application to build the clubrooms, which will have changing facilities, showers, toilets, storage, a canteen and meeting room.