Christchurch community boards have been given an unexpected boost after city councillors decided to provide $300,000 for their earthquake recovery efforts.

During today's annual-plan deliberations, councillors decided to back the work being done by the community boards.

The board heads had asked for more funding so they could have a staff member assist with quake recovery work in each ward.

Cr Sue Wells encouraged councillors to provide $300,000 for the boards' quake response work, saying the council had to act quickly.

"The need is urgent and the need is now ... If we just call for another report, nothing is going to happen," she said.

Cr Tim Carter said the problems facing the community boards were symptomatic of those facing the entire city and needed to be addressed.

"Everyone's under more pressure and there's more work than everyone can do," he said.

Cr Aaron Keown said he did not believe that the community boards needed additional staff to do their work.

"When you go looking for problems that don't exist, you create them. Are we just creating a problem or is there an actual need?" he said.

Councillors voted 7-6 in favour of providing the funding.

They also added $100,000 to the council's planning budgets, to be split equally between the Christchurch Coastal Pathway and the Victoria Streetscape Precinct groups in support of their work.

Staff were also asked to provide a report on how to provide temporary services for areas that had lost council service centres because of the quakes.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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