KEY POINTS:
The Prime Minister is giving little away about the Government's plans for reforming local government in Auckland - and whether changes will be in place for October's local body elections.
Helen Clark yesterday said Local Government Minister Mark Burton would be "engaging on the next steps" for governance proposals at Friday's mayoral forum meeting in Auckland.
She said Government officials and the Cabinet had examined a consensus model for strengthening governance put together by the region's eight councils in December and said there were areas where it needed to be developed.
The idea for one plan for Auckland was a good one but at the moment it would largely have moral force. What needed to be explored was whether any more could be achieved, she said.
National's Auckland issues spokesman, Dr Wayne Mapp, said Labour's efforts to streamline Auckland local government were "so underwhelming it's laughable".
Dr Mapp said legislation needed to be introduced to Parliament within three weeks to get it through in time for the local body elections.
If the Government did not have something sorted by Friday "they're not going to have anything sorted. It's as simple as that", he said.
In Parliament last week, Deputy Prime Minister Dr Michael Cullen said changes to regional governance might not require legislation.
That would mean little, if any, change to the status quo.
The December model followed a radical proposal by the four big city mayors in September to cut the number of councils and replace the Auckland Regional Council with a Greater Auckland Council made up of elected and appointed business leaders.
Helen Clark came to Auckland with a team of Cabinet ministers and senior officials to hear the mayors' plan but it fell apart within days.
At the time, the Prime Minister asked: "How do you drive Auckland to make the next great leap forward as a metro region - or do you just accept that we will muddle through?"
Auckland City Mayor Dick Hubbard said he was aware of increasing concern over the governance issue and wanted the Government to come back with answers quickly.
ARC chairman Mike Lee said he was waiting with interest to see what the Government planned.
