Friday, January 8, 2016
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THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF MID CANTERBURY
Rodeo’s rising star Ashburton cowboy Brendon Johnston is set to break into the big time.
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Flags go head-to-head P3
Some community assets ‘sacrosanct’ BY SUE NEWMAN
SUE.N@THEGUARDIAN.CO.NZ
Catching up with Hamish P6
P4
When it comes to selling off community assets, there are some areas that are an absolute no-go, says Ashburton’s mayor Angus McKay. While some cash-strapped local authorities are looking at options for cash raising to reduce debt that include disposing of infrastructural assets, Mr McKay says there are a number of assets that are sacrosanct and that should never pass into private hands. Community rumours that suggested the Ashburton town water supply could be up for sale were totally unfounded, he said. “There’s been no talk of selling the water supply, none whatsoever. Some councils have done this but it’s a no, no, no from me. This hasn’t been discussed.” There was a school of thought that selling off assets such as a water sup-
ply would be a risk-free undertaking. That’s not a school of thought Mr McKay supports. “I see water supply, the sewerage system and roads as fundamental, core activities of the council. In my view selling those off would be like selling our lines company to an organisation that was based outside our district. It wouldn’t work.” It was a council’s job to provide the most cost effective and efficient infrastructure possible for the people who lived and did business in its patch, he said. He believes there are far greater advantages to a community in having closer council control over the functions and services it provides for the community. Until last year the Ashburton Museum and Experience Mid Canterbury, while funded by the council, operated at arm’s length. They have now become
council-controlled organisations, with their business run with much closer links with the council. The Ashburton Art Gallery and Grow Mid Canterbury are still operating in their original form. Even with the council-controlled organisation model, the council did not have absolute control over the running of the two organisations, Mr McKay said. The council was constantly looking at ways to ensure ratepayers received optimum value for money in terms of services, the council was constantly monitoring its activities and this had resulted in it progressively moving control of its roading activities back inhouse, rather than handing these over to an independent contractor. This meant roading work could be more closely monitored, not on only a cost basis, but also in terms of quality control, he said.
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