Letters: New regional council building must mean more staff

An artist's impression of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council building which is expected to be completed late next year. Image / Supplied

I was interested to read of the planned new building to house the Rotorua staff of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council (Local News, November 26).

The decorative panels on the west and south sides of the shoebox-shaped structure certainly greatly improve the appearance of and give life to what would otherwise be a basic and bland building.

The outdoor cafe area looks inviting in the illustration but I suspect that, being situated on the south-west corner, it would attract customers only in the summer.

In the winter it would be windswept and cold.

It appears that there are 41 staff members of the Regional Council in the Rotorua office.

There was no response from anyone to my questions, a few years ago, about changes to our bus services, including the Westbrook route.

The latter received timetable alterations and the loss of two popular bus stops because of, in my view, an unnecessary change to the loop at the end of the route.

I suspect the new building is needed to house even more staff, so maybe I will receive an answer.

But I will not hold my breath for that, nor in the hope that the regional council's levy will not increase in next year's rates demands.

Ronald Mayes
Rotorua

Landlord incentives

Landlords and their choice to invest expendable income into rental(s) has become a controversial topic.

They have become the public face denying first home buyers a home.

Or charging high rents to cover their mortgages. Is it that simple?

Or are they just a cog in a broken down machine? Who can blame them from jumping on the bandwagon when bank interest rates are so low?

I'm sure it takes hard work and commitment to be a caring and humane landlord. But it is your choice. There are others in it only for the financial gain. At least you are giving a local family a roof, unlike Airbnb.

Unless there is a law change, and a financial disincentive to own a rental we will continue to tie up money in this way and bid against each other for the privilege of owning a home.

But are high earning politicians who put their surplus cash into rentals going to change a system which is working for them?

Lesley Haddon
Rotorua

Recruiting bus drivers

Following on from Jim Adams' (Letters, November 24) suggestions for the ailing bus service perhaps mini buses could be used at off peak hours, and driven by the recently retired.

The new buses could be partly funded by selling one or more larger of the buses.

Joy Maskell
Rotorua

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