Source: Hutt City Council
Lower Hutt Mayor, Campbell Barry is calling for certainty from all political parties following the Government’s Three Waters announcement today.
Mayor Barry says while the shift to ten entities instead of four is not his preferred long-term approach, the most important thing now is certainty and that we get on with it.
“Throughout this process I’ve been incredibly frustrated with how fixing our water infrastructure problems has become a political football. To be honest, today’s announcement is another example of politics being put ahead of good long-term policy”.
Mayor Barry says ten entities will not deliver the same long-term affordability as four, which has been the fundamental driver of these reforms.
“It’s clear the Government has made some major concessions on affordability to allow for smaller regional entities. While I personally don’t agree with those concessions, it is what a number of councils across New Zealand have been asking for.
“We now need to take the politics out of this issue and move forward constructively with what’s on the table”.
Mayor Barry says the most important thing for councils now is certainty from all political parties.
“The status quo is not an option, and certainty will allow us to move forward and get on with the job”.
The Government will need to address other issues which arise from their reset, says Mayor Barry.
“The delay to 2026 creates challenges for councils’ Long-Term Plans. This will need to be addressed before planning starts in a few months’ time”.
Hutt City Council will be looking further at the detail of this announcement and reporting back to elected members.
