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Dear Resident Riccarton/Wigram is the largest ward in the City with 60,825 residents – an 11% increase from census figures of 2001. This trend will continue as further population growth is anticipated for the southwest. This term of Council has demanded constant vigilance. Having promised to be a strong voice at Council, I have made a stand on a number of issues on your behalf. In this newsletter I bring to your attention some issues facing the city and our ward. Rating Levels During this term of Council, I have consistently opposed both the level and approach to setting rates, (a minority view). The rate increase for this year is 7.35%. The accumulation of high rate increases over a three year period is 26% and a staggering 50% over five years. Rating increases at this level are beyond the capacity of most households and businesses and I am particularly concerned for residents living on fixed or low incomes. The current budget setting process is flawed and needs to change; in my view, councillors need to work through budgets in greater detail and set an appropriate benchmark for rates, adapting the budget to that benchmark. (Every household budgets to a finite income and businesses work to absorb costs.) Possible benchmarks are the Consumer or Construction Price Index. Even taking the higher Construction Price Index, the rate increase would be 5.3% – an achievable improvement! Retaining Trading Assets In Council Ownership With a strong commitment to retaining council ownership of trading assets, I had great satisfaction in preventing the Red Bus Company and City Care being removed from the Council’s strategic asset list – removal would have allowed these companies to be sold without public consultation. I did not support the sell down of the Lyttelton Port Company and remain concerned at the formation of eight “free floating” shelf companies – which removes public input at a formative stage. Improving Decision Making And Democracy For the last three years, the Council has operated without committees which, from my perspective, has not allowed adequate scrutiny by councillors of many major financial and urban planning decisions. Councillors receive papers on Friday evening for a decision the following Thursday. The speed of this process also denies the public the opportunity to comment. Some decisions of community concern are not being referred to councillors; two examples, which I have spoken publicly about, are the removal of the crèche from the new Jellie Park complex and redevelopment of the heritage-listed civic chambers (subject of critical report by the Auditor General). Reinstatement of two step decision-making is essential for the next term of Council – this is the standard approach for local government and will provide more considered  Feel free to contact me anytimePhone:Email: helen.broughton@ccc.govt.nz 
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