Support among elected council members for Luxon’s ‘back to basics’ approach to local government 

Summarised by Centrist

The coalition government’s proposals to streamline local government might not be as unpopular as some mayors and councillors in the mainstream media are suggesting. 

A recent survey reveals that around half of elected officials actually support the changes, especially when it comes to improving transparency and council performance benchmarks. 

The Taxpayers’ Union survey found mixed reactions to the four main policy announcements made at the LGNZ conference. Nearly half of those polled favoured abolishing the four wellbeing provisions. 

There was also more than two thirds support for introducing consistent performance benchmarks for councils. 

Limiting council expenditure on non-essential activities had an even split, while over two thirds of those polled support the decision to review the rules about how open and accountable councils are. 

Out of 177 elected officials surveyed, there was two thirds in favour of the government’s proposal to review transparency and accountability rules for councils. 

This review could potentially give councillors more power to access information from council staff, with the majority of respondents expressing strong support for the idea.

Read more over at the Taxpayers’ Union