Waimate District Council will continue to deliver on its core responsibilities after the Government deferred its decisions on amalgamation proposals submitted under the Head Start pathway: Simplifying Local Government policy.
“I’m not surprised with the deferral,” says Mayor Craig Rowley. “There has been lots of uncertainty over the Head Start process and its implementation.”
“Councils were put through a rushed and unfunded process, only for the Government to now acknowledge that the work could not be completed properly in the time available.”
The Government was expected to accept or reject the proposals last month, and determine which ones would proceed into the detailed design phase or into the backstop process. But the Government announced on 24 September that it would wait until after the election to make its decision.
In the meantime, it’s business as usual for Council, from service delivery to the implementation of new legislation.
“We can now refocus our efforts to ensure we continue to deliver our core responsibilities,” Mayor Rowley says. “We will continue to work with neighbouring councils to identify possible efficiencies that clearly benefit all parties.”
_______________________________________________________________________
