City ‘put-down’ alleged

Press, 5 December 1989, Page 9

City ‘put-down’ alleged

Voices were raised at the first committee meeting of the new Christchurch City Council yesterday when Cr Des King accused fellow councillors of “putting dowwn” those not from the former City Council. Cr King, a former Waimairi District councillor, objected to what he called “rubber stamping" of policies of the former city.

He argued against the adoption of a policy for the elderly and a cultural policy, previously de-

bated by the former City Council. This was a new council and policy making should start from scratch, not simply endorse previous City Council policy initiatives, he said. Councillors had to be given time to have some input into the policies. “I object to the rubber stamping and to being put down because I’m not from the old city,” he told the cultural and social services committee chairman, Cr Charles Manning.

Cr Manning told Cr King to moderate his language at the council table during the meeting. Cr King said he had been assured by “Bassett, Elwood and Gray” that he would have an input into the new council. He was upset that those assurances — from the Minister of Local Government, Dr Bassett, the chairman of the Local Government Commission, Mr Brian Elwood, and the city manager, Mr John Gray — did not seem to be worth anything.