Rural voice recommended for council

The Rotorua Lakes Council yesterday agreed to publicly consult on a plan to change the face of the council Photo/Stephen Parker

Rural residents could soon have their own community board, but it may come at the expense of two district councillors.

The Rotorua Lakes Council yesterday agreed to publicly consult on a plan to change the face of the council to 10 councillors, a mayor and two community boards, with the chairperson of each having voting rights on committees.

The proposal came out of the council's Your Choice 2016 Election Review.

That review process was described by Councillor Charles Sturt as the most extensive he had been involved in.

"These ideas have come from the most extensive set of consultation I've ever been part of and it reflects what the community wants. We got a message about rural disconnect at large."

The working party recommended the number of councillors be reduced from 12 to 10. The mayor and councillors would continue to be elected at large by registered voters across the district.

The other recommended change is the establishment of a second community board, in addition to the existing Lakes Community Board. The objective of the new Rural Community Board would be to provide a voice specifically for the district's rural community.

The working party comprised councillors - Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, Tania Tapsell and Mr Sturt, and community representatives - Aroha Bray, Brian Eagle and Jill Nicholas.

The formal community consultation programme will take place between September 1 and October 2, with a final decision to be made in November.

That decision will be followed by a public appeal period, with the outcome of appeals being determined independently by the Local Government Commission by April next year.

The outcome will take effect from next year's local government elections.