We currently have both a left wing central Government and a left leaning local government: that bodes well for continuity in policy direction. The Labour-led coalition government has just brought down its first Budget with more funds aimed at the relief of poverty and significant increases in health and spending on social housing. So we can conclude that central Government is doing its bit.
Porirua City Council’s (PCC) Long-Term Plan promises many of the things that should support the Government’s attempts to ease the plight of the less well-off. Sadly, their actions simply do not: they continue the past trends of spend, spend, spend on the “nice to haves” rather than focusing on lower rates charges and confining investment to essential services. That is an absolute disgrace and totally unacceptable.
When presenting our submission to Council, I was challenged about negativity when virtually everyone else wanted to increase spending. The answer was simple. You cannot spend what you don’t have. You cannot deliver Rolls Royce aspirations on a Ford income: not if you care about the less well-off.
For many of us in the Northern suburbs and rural areas, the increase in costs is not catastrophic: but for the less well-off, it is. Before the next round of Rates increases (5.25% for each of the next four years), our community was already facing a heavy avoidable burden on a weekly basis.
Based on a home with a rateable value of $600,000, PCC rates are $11.40 per week greater than in Wellington and a massive $14.90 per week greater than Hutt City. Additionally those two areas have vastly more attractive CBDs and shopping centres, which are most likely the first choice of many PCC ratepayers. But that hasn’t stopped proposals to introduce car parking charges in the already run-down CBD which should hasten further commercial depression, business closures and job losses!
Then there is the issue of the proposed community centre in the Eastern Ward budgeted at $15 million. Aside from the cost of financing, will this potential “white elephant” end up being subsidised by ratepayers like the Te Rauparaha Arena, which CEO Wendy Walker has advised is subsidised in the range 55% – 70% annually? So why are we planning for more community buildings that are neither self-sustaining nor fully utilised?
Ratepayers have had enough.
It is time to reduce costs and ease the burden for the less well-off: provide them with some hope of breaking out of the poverty trap. A caring local government would:
- work in concert with central Government and not against it; and
- create jobs rather than discouraging them.
The Local Government Act 2002 demands that Councils provide value for money. Sixteen years after the law was passed, Council still fails to match income with expenditure. What a disgrace and blight on those responsible.
Andrew Weeks
Chairman PEDG