Heather du Plessis-Allan: Councils forced the Govt to bring out the big stick

Even people who think councils do a fantastic job must by now understand why the Government is going to have to pass law to get councils to focus on doing their jobs. 

It has been clear to councils for about four months now that the Government wanted them to drop the distractions and just do their work. 

Yet, councils just can’t help themselves. 

Even last week Tauranga City Council voted to install unelected Māori representatives on the council, who will not improve ratepayers lives at all but will cost them money. 

Hastings Council did the same thing three months ago with the youth councillors. No extra benefit for ratepayers, but extra cost. 

Wellington City Council is today going to debate whether they should submit their feels to the Government on the Treaty Principles Bill. 

That's not their job. 

A bunch of other councils have done that too. 

These guys up and down the country show no sign that they understand they are supposed to be cutting out unnecessary spending and focusing their minds on doing their actual jobs. 

So it’s come to this – the Government announcing yesterday it will pass legalisation to force them to do their jobs. 

The four wellbeing pillars that task councils with looking after economic wellbeing, social wellbeing, cultural wellbeing, and environmental wellbeing will be scrapped. 

That was a bad idea from the last Labour Government anyway, which was so broad and meaningless it gave councils an excuse to expand their meddling into pretty much anything, because everything is a wellbeing. 

Councils will be forced to report clearly and simply, and publicly, on what they’re spending money on and what they’re charging ratepayers. 

Hopefully getting out the big stick will mean the excuses are cut, distractions are dropped, and these guys focus their minds on doing more work for less cost to ratepayers. 

Because hoping they get the message and do it voluntarily hasn’t worked. 

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