Ratepayers to be respected: Puppy dogs and ice cream law to be repealed

ACT is welcoming the Government’s moves to get local councils focused on core services and show respect for the people who pay the bills.

“David Seymour called Labour’s introduction of ‘four well-beings’ legislation in 2018 the Puppy Dogs and Ice Cream Bill”, says ACT Local Government spokesperson Cameron Luxton.

“Because rather than requiring councils to deliver core services in a cost-effective way for households and businesses, Labour believed councils should be able to do whatever they felt like. That was always going to be a recipe for higher rates

“Act has long argued that councils need to stick to their knitting, focused on value for money instead of vanity projects.

“For too long, councils have treated ratepayers' money with disdain. Labour’s ‘four well-beings’ approach invited councils to meddle in everything under the sun, from climate policy to public health and tourism campaigns, all funded by hardworking ratepayers struggling with their own bills.

“These reforms are a good start. ACT is especially pleased to see genuine accountability with the benchmarking so ratepayers can more easily compare the performance of their own council with others. Ratepayers will finally be able to see exactly how their council stacks up in terms of rates, debt, and spending. Some healthy competition between councils is long overdue.

“But accountability can’t stop there. ACT wants to see stronger protections for local democracy itself. Moves by councils to grant unelected appointees voting rights, or to introduce Māori wards erode the Treaty’s promise of the same rights and duties for all New Zealanders.

“That’s why ACT has restored the right for voters to throw out Māori wards and ACT Local will be campaigning to ensure only elected councillors are at the decision-making table.

“Today’s changes show the Government has heard the message ACT has been delivering for years, and the message we’re hearing every day from ratepayers: focus on the basics, deliver core services well, and stop wasting our money.”