Editorial: Keeping 12 councillors is right decision but wrong process

Whanganui District Council will continue to have 12 members. Photo / Bevan Conley

Editorial

The decision to stick with having 12 district councillors is the right call for representation but the way Whanganui District Council arrived at it will be cause for further tension between the council and public.

At last year's local body elections, voters were asked in a non-binding referendum whether they supported the status quo or a reduction to 10 councillors.

A reasonable majority was in favour of a reduction: 8072 wanted a 10-member council and 5252 were happy with 12.

The often knee-jerk support for fewer councillors sometimes stems from the assumption that paid councillors are a drain on the coffers and that a reduction will help reduce rates.

But that's not really the case.

The salary pool is split between however many councillors there are, and any other negligible savings are not worth what would be lost in diversity of thought and experience if fewer councillors were at the table.

Even with 12 members, Whanganui's council lacks diversity and does not reflect the entire community it represents.

Reducing that number would only further dilute its diversity.

We need more voices, not fewer.

Having 12 councillors for essentially the same cost as 10 sounds like value for money more than a waste.

But although it's a good call, the fact the public were asked to have a say, only to have the majority of councillors go against the majority of the public, only creates a rift between the two.

Sure, the referendum was not binding on the council but voters expect to see decisions reflect their views – especially when they've been asked.

The council would have been better to have made a call without first holding a referendum. The outcome would likely have been the same anyway.

A huge swathe of the public already feel like they're not listened to.

Just this month the annual Community Views Survey revealed that only 45 per cent perceived the council as responsive to community needs.

This long process to keep that status quo will only entrench such a view.

Now it's over to the councillors - all 12 of them - to justify their place around the table.