Tasman chief's report slammed

BY ALICE COWDREY

Golden Bay Community Board has slammed a long-awaited and "poorly written" review of governance in Tasman.

The report, by the council's chief executive, Paul Wylie, reviews the district's community boards, community councils and associations and contains a lengthy list of "possible" recommendations.

The report will be considered by councillors tomorrow.

Motueka and Golden Bay each has a community board with four elected members. The powers of the boards are determined by the Local Government Act. There are also 11 voluntary associations or community councils recognised by the council as representing local communities in Tasman.

Golden Bay Community Board chairman Joe Bell is critical of the "bad" report which omits vital information.

"Our community board is asking that it be withdrawn and rewritten with the information we are providing to the council today.

"It is a report which is full of sophistry and there are a lot of omissions."

Mr Bell said it was missing "heaps of stuff".

It did not refer to a Local Government Commission recommendation that the council consider delegations to community boards back in 2007.

The community board last night wrote a 15-page report on Mr Wylie's review which it wants councillors to read before tomorrow's council meeting.

In the report, Mr Wylie said increased delegations to Tasman's two community boards were not going to solve the long-standing difficult relationship and "tension" between the boards and the council.

The review is an "attempt to make progress towards a more constructive and healthy relationship". Over the last year Mr Wylie has visited several councils and community boards.

"This process has taken far longer than originally expected but these matters are complex and it is apparent that there are no easy answers."

Mr Wylie's report raises many issues and he concedes its conclusions "are not likely to find universal acceptance".

"In many respects the report is simply the beginning of a conversation that needs to include many parties."

He lists possible recommendations in the report for the incoming council to consider, including offering the community boards the role of street naming in their wards, training community board members and increasing the size of the boards' annual discretionary fund.

Motueka Community Board chairman David Ogilvie said Mr Wylie's report was "standard and matter of fact" and did not come up with any new ideas. It explained in detail the role of the community councils, associations and community boards.

"It basically says in the next term of council we will look at this again.

"It would have been nice to have moved forward but it hasn't really happened that way."

Mr Ogilvie said he would like to see the board given extra roles. There were jobs the board could do more efficiently and cost-effectively than councillors, such as developing pram ramps and footpaths.

He said some of Mr Wylie's recommendations were put forward previously by a past councillor. The relationship between the Motueka Community Board and the council had improved quite remarkably over the last year. He wants to see that continue.

"It's not easy having an edge to a relationship, so it's a matter of making progress and working towards a better partnership."

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