Bay Harbour: September 18, 2019

Wednesday September 18 2019
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
BAY HARBOUR
PAGE 3
News
Crime camera transparency questioned
Council
criticised for
excluding
public from
meeting
RATE INCREASES ARE NOT SUSTAINABLE
þ Rates are projected to rise by more than 52% by 2028.
Over the last three years, average rate rises have hit 5.25%.
And that’s not factoring in the compounding effect of those
increases.
þ
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• By Jess Gibson
THE CITY council has been
criticised over a decision to
exclude the public from a
meeting about Sumner’s crime
cameras.
A seminar was held on Monday
to provide the Linwood-
Central-Heathcote Community
Board with advice from police
and city council staff on the
process of installing crime prevention
cameras.
However, due to the level of
public interest in the process,
community board acting chairman
Jake McLellan questioned
the transparency of the meeting.
Prior to the public-excluded
discussion on crime cameras,
the meeting was open to the
public for two items – the Bay
Area Skate and Scooter Park
designs and the Heathcote Expressway.
Mr McLellan called the deci-
CONFUSION: Jake
McLellan has called
out the city council
for excluding the
public from a
meeting on
Sumner’s crime
cameras.
sion to make the crime cameras
a private matter “completely and
utterly wrong.”
He said nothing discussed at
the meeting needed to exclude
the public.
Head of community support,
governance and partnerships
John Filsell said the meeting
excluded the public as it was
“a confidential staff briefing to
elected members” and because
there was no decision-making.
There has been ongoing confusion
as to who can fund the
$20,000 cameras, as communityfunded
equipment is not an
option.
Board members were meant to
REPAIR THE ROADS AND FOOTPATHS
Eight years on from the quakes we still have endless
roadworks, questionable sewage systems and fresh
water that is compromised.
I SUPPORT AN INTEGRATED WATER STRATEGY
Water supply, waste water, storm water and water infrastructure
are critically important. Our waterways and coastal water form a
major part of the landscape and lives of the community.
A CHANGE OF CULTURE IS REQUIRED
Ratepayers want transparency and accountability without
resorting to Official Information Act procedures. The Council
has been branded as “the most secretive in the country.”
decide on a recommendation to
decline all funding towards the
cameras in July – the amount
requested by Safer Sumner was
$16,187.
However, the application was
withdrawn due to confusion
over how the item was expected
to meet the discretionary response
fund criteria.
Mr Filsell said the information
will be shared next week
with Safer Sumner, which has
been trying to get the cameras
installed since 2017.
Mr McLellan sent a letter to
city council staff on Sunday
raising concerns prior to the
meeting.
Darrell
LATHAM
Forü Council
I WILL ASK THE
HARD QUESTIONS
REVIEW ALL COUNCIL EXPENDITURE
þ Income and expenditure needs to be reviewed
with urgency. The Council needs to comprehensively
review how it manages assets to avoid soaring debt.
INNER CITY DEVELOPMENT
þ Central City residential developments are creating
masses of on street car parking. These developments
require off street parking areas.
þ
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“Given this item already has
come to the community board
I’m unsure why this would now
be removed from the public view
for a period of time,” it said.
“This appears to be setting
us up for a position where we
would be acting on advice not
made public, and so I want to get
this right at the outset.”
Mr McLellan has not received
a written response to the letter.
Community board member
Darrel Latham, who has been
pushing for the crime cameras,
said he is in “full agreement with
the sentiments expressed in the
letter.”
Mr Latham has been outspoken
about the need to involve
the public on matters which
are of significant interest to the
community.
“From my perspective, there
is no good reason as to why
the public or media should
have been excluded from this
seminar. The issues have been
well publicised with respect to
the crime cameras and there is a
genuine interest by the public in
this matter,” he said.
“We are a community board
advocating for the public, we are
not a branch of the government
security bureau so let’s keep
things in perspective and involve
our community.’
CITY ACCESS, PARKING AND CONGESTION
A smart city is an accessible city. The Council must listen
to business people and road users and create a more
user friendly accessible city.
CLIMATE CHANGE
We need individual and collective action to minimise
climate change. Mitigation and adaptive management
strategies are part of that discussion.
In Brief
AWAPARAHI BAY FEEDBACK
THe public has until Friday to have
a say on whether Lyttelton Port
Company should get consent for
land use at Te Awaparahi Bay. The
city council is seeking feedback
on an application submitted by
LPC to enable the establishment
and operation of a container
terminal and other port activities
at 45 Godley Quay and 2 Cashin
Quay. Visit: https://www.ccc.govt.
nz/the-council/consultationsand-submissions/haveyoursay/
show/263
MEET THE CANDIDATES
Residents can meet mayoral
candidates and Linwood-Central-
Heathcote Community Board
candidates at a meeting on
Monday. It will begin at 7.30pm
in the Mt Pleasant Community
Centre, 3 McCormacks Bay Rd.
Tea and coffee will be available.
If you have any questions, email
community@mpcc.org.nz
ESPLANADE CLEAN-UP
A clean-up along Sumner
Esplanade on Friday will be
the first to be held as part of a
nationwide initiative to prevent
roadside rubbish. Car rental
company Avis Budget Group
is launching “Operation Clean
Drive” in response to research,
which found 58 per cent of New
Zealanders admit to throwing
rubbish out the car window.
þDecisive
þDetermined
þDependable
Your choice
for
Heathcote
Better
Councils
Make
Better
Communities
Authorised by Dr Darrell Latham,
53 Colenso St, Sumner, Christchurch 8081