LAKES WEEKLY

Locally Ownedsince Forever Bulletin

Share the power

Mayor Glyn Lewers was left to do all the heavy-lifting at Friday’s official opening of the streetscape improvements, giving the main speech after PM Chris Hipkins was a no-show, his flight cancelled due to fog.

That’s perhaps a fitting metaphor for the relationship between local and central government, especially where finances are concerned. Look at the Covid infrastructure handouts. Wellington pledges $35 million for the streetscapes and $50m for the arterial roads, and QLDC has to contribute and, crucially, pick up any budget blowout. For the arterial road, the budget has already increased to a total $109m, with QLDC now paying at least $59m.

I’ve long held the view that there’s a strong power imbalance between local and national government that is both unhealthy and unprofessional. It feels like an adult-child dynamic, where all the real power [read $$s] is held in Wellington and pocket money dished out to local councils if they behave.

Yes, the Government could point to projects such as the Kawarau Falls Bridge, and the $120m improvements to Frankton Road, but state highways are, as you’d imagine, the responsibility of the state, and yet we still had to beg for them to happen. Ultimately the revenue base for local government, the rates, has always been inadequate for the job they have to do, especially in a tourist district like ours.

All local solutions, such as a bed tax, a share of the tourism GST (pigs might fly), increased rates for Airbnb, or the recent suggestions of a tax on unused housing or an airport arrivals tax, ultimately go nowhere. Instead, we’re left to go cap-in-hand for help with the housing crisis and infrastructure, and just wait for improvements to health facilities. Even Three Waters looks to centralise power, rather than back councils with adequate funding.

So, I was pleased to read the Future for Local Government review report, published last week, which appears to be a first step in the right direction. It recommends resetting that relationship and decreasing the power gap - my words, by improving the income base with funding from central government. The report also recommends establishing a Crown entity to manage the relationship, giving local communities a louder voice, which is a great idea, and increasing pay for councillors, who would serve a four-year term, lowering the voting age, and consolidating some councils. All good suggestions, although I think it missed a trick not making voting compulsory, to tackle the pitiful turnout.

Admittedly some local councils will need to lift their game, but a lot of the suggestions put forward in the report IF implemented, could help create a level playing field and a much more robust system of representation that empowers local communities to build local solutions. Let’s see if anything comes of it.