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Council To Continue To Seek Unitary Authority Status Print

27 November 2009

Following comments made by the Hon Rodney Hide, Minister for Local Government at the public meeting on 12 November, and in accordance with the public’s wishes, Franklin District Council will continue to push for unitary authority status.

At the Council meeting yesterday, Councillors voted  to take three different approaches in Council’s bid.

These include formally applying for Franklin to become a unitary authority to the Minister of Local Government, requesting the support of the Auckland Regional Council and Environment Waikato and including a proposal in Council’s next submission to the Local Government Commission on Auckland’s governance arrangements.

Franklin District Mayor Mark Ball says, “The vast majority of the community wish to remain independent and to keep our community together. Council will continue the push, and is leaving no stone unturned in our quest to become a unitary authority.”
“The people of Franklin have spoken via public meetings, a poll run by local media and three statistically valid telephone polls, all of which supported Franklin District Council remaining separate from the Auckland Council.”
Mark says, “Council requested unitary authority status in our submission to the Select Committee on Auckland governance. At no time did either the Minister of Local Government, the Department of Internal Affairs, or the Select Committee on Auckland Governance advise Council that including such a proposal in its submission was not the correct channel through which to apply for unitary authority status.”
Council will make an official request to Auckland Regional Council and Environment Waikato for their consent for Franklin to submit a proposal to the Local Government Commission to become a unitary authority.
Council will also write to the Minister of Local Government, formally requesting that the Minister submit an application to the Local Government Commission on behalf of Franklin’s residents and ratepayers for Franklin District to become a unitary authority.

If a positive response is received from either the Minister, or the Auckland Regional Council and Environment Waikato, Council staff will prepare a formal application to the Local Government Commission for Franklin District to become a unitary authority.
In the mean time Council staff will continue on transition work with the Auckland Transition Agency, the Waikato District and the Hauraki District.