If you have spent about 5 minutes on the pages that are promoting the National led coalition government’s local council agenda you’ll have heard them swoon when the PM addressed the local council conference and told them his lot were going to amend the law and insist councils stopped doing things other than collecting the rubbish, fixing the footpaths and sorting out loans for hundreds of millions of dollars to pick up the tab for the old 3 Waters arrangement that they cancelled to convert infrastructure spending into landlords welfare handouts and tax cuts for the wealthy.
That was the point where I decided to run for council.
Councils have much more to do than just serve as extension to a government, especially a government as bad as this one.
As has been reported and exposed in depth on my page here, government requirements to councils add huge expenses that ratepayers have to cough up hundreds of millions of dollars.
That has to stop and it’s not going to stop by supporting this government despite what their friends in local government elections will tell you.
Recently Local Government Minister, Chris Bishop, acknowledged the problem and has said more funding will be available.
You’d have thought people who wanted councils to find ways to reduce rates would be happy with this.
Sadly, Daveforcouncil Derangement Syndrome kicked in and they went spare.
There’s a message in that.
I wonder how they feel about David Seymour’s recent outburst asking Mayor’s to help win the truancy battle.
Never mind the potholes and the broken footpaths, leave the burst water pipes and roaming dogs for another day – help Seymour look good by jumping into the Mayoral Daimler and go looking for kids smoking at the park when they should be doing maths.
Seymour’s election promise is to get 80% of kids in classes 90% of the term by 2030 and he’s not good enough to do it. Hence telling the mayors it’s actually part of their job now.
Now it’s not often I agree with the Minister of Pig Slop Lunches but on this one I do.
Of course, local government should do more than fix the roads, pick up the rubbish and fix leaking pipes – that’s why I’m running for council – but Seymour and his coalition partners seem confused and confusing.
Go ahead Seymour, get the kids to school and ask the mayors for help – just be prepared to fund it.
And every other little job you’re not capable of doing without telling councils it’s their job now.
It’s time to stop letting these idiotic proclamations from the likes of Seymour and co be taken seriously and automatically be complied with.
And I’m just the guy to do it.
Government Press Release Asking Mayors To Concentrate On Wellbeing.
