It is worth taking a look at merging councils, Southland’s MP says.
The amalgamation of four Southland councils was recently put forward by Southland District Mayor Rob Scott and would mean a reduction of the various organisations into two, one for Gore, Southland and parts of Environment Southland’s patch, and the other for Invercargill and the remaining parts of Environment Southland.
Southland MP Joseph Mooney said this was an interesting idea and worth exploring.
"I think what Rob has floated is a single unitary authority for rural and urban Southland. It’s worth taking a serious look at, with the caveat that it’s ultimately for the residents of those councils to make that decision," he said.
The merger could be better for the economics of the regions, Mr Mooney said.
"I think it’s a good thing to take a look at, for better financial security that can be achieved by amalgamating some of these functions, while ensuring strong local accountability is sustained across the region."
There were upsides to the amalgamation, with potentially some rationalisation of cost and sharing of staff and resources, he said.
In regards to financial burdens from the various councils, Mr Mooney said it would be looked at, and that there were ways to reduce cost by outsourcing management.
"Council-operated organisations to run water assets, for example, where the community retains ownership but there’s a better economy of scale in terms of managing those assets," Mr Mooney said.
There were concerns about community input, but said that it would be accounted for and needed to be.
"I think if it’s done right you could ensure that each community does maintain a strong voice but that’s something that would need to be worked through," he said.
Mr Mooney said that the decision was not a small one, but it would be decided by the people.
"‘It’s something that would need to be worked through in terms of analysing whether this makes sense or not.
"Ultimately, it’s up to the ratepayers to decide," Mr Mooney said.
