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The
New Zealand Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux today enthusiastically
welcomed proposed changes to the Local Government Act in its submission
on the review of the Act.
The
Government has proposed to change the legislation under which councils
operate. Public consultation on the review of the Local Government
Act concluded today.
“The
Act takes a significant step towards strengthening the relationship
between local councils and their communities, a move which we are
delighted to see,” said the Association’s CEO Nick Toonen.
“It
places increased emphasis on council’s role in supporting social
well-being, and further moves local government in New Zealand away
from a limited ‘rates, roads and rubbish’ mentality.
“It
promotes stronger partnerships between local government, central
government and local communities with the focus on improving the
well-being of each community. Citizens Advice Bureaux share the
same focus – the well-being of their local communities– and the
strength of the CAB service is that it has arisen out of a need
in each community. Local people set up each bureau, staff the service
as trained volunteers, meet the Association’s national membership
standards on an ongoing basis, and keep each bureau operating,”
Nick Toonen said.
There
are currently 88 Citizens Advice Bureaux spread between Kaitaia
and Invercargill and each of those bureaux has a relationship with
a local authority. Between 1999 and 2001, CAB dealt with over 60,000
enquiries relating to a wide range of local government services
and issues including neighbourhood disputes, town planning, resource
management, by-laws, visitor information, civic services, elections
and animal registration.
“We
actively support councils on a daily basis, providing information
about their services to the public, as well as supporting the community
generally. The public sees us as impartial and reliable. We provide
a human face with voluntary staff who have the time to listen, an
invaluable asset to the health of any community.
“We
are also able to provide a window on the main issues and concerns
in communities because nationally we deal with over 11,000 clients
a week. Bureaux can provide their local councils with a snapshot
of local community issues and concerns at any time.”
“Current
relationships between councils and bureaux vary greatly across the
country, from those councils that provide good financial and in-kind
support to local bureaux to those that give very little practical
or other support.
“Clearly,
a positive and healthy relationship is to everyone’s advantage.
We see this Act as an opportunity for those bureaux with less council
support to develop more effective and meaningful relationships.
We hope that the tenuous nature of a number of those relationships
will change by councils undertaking longer term planning and making
longer term funding agreements with bureaux. The current short-term
contracts that exist make it difficult for bureaux to plan ahead,”
Nick Toonen said.
[Click
here for a copy of the Submission]
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