The Government is changing local government laws to ensure only elected councillors can vote on council committee decisions, saying the move will ‘strengthen democratic accountability’.
Local Government Minister Simon Watts announced that amendments to the Local Government Act 2002 will remove voting rights from unelected members appointed to council committees.
“Councillors are directly accountable to voters for their decisions,” Watts said. “We are amending the Local Government Act 2002 so only elected members hold voting rights at council committee meetings.”
The Government says concerns have been raised by councils and members of the public about unelected individuals being granted voting powers on committees, arguing it undermines the role of elected representatives.
Watts pointed to examples in the Far North, Tauranga and Hastings where appointees, including iwi representatives and people under the age of 18, had been given voting rights despite not being elected by local communities.
“That’s not democratic, so we’re fixing it,” he said.
Under the proposed changes, councils will still be able to appoint non-elected members to committees to provide expertise, advice and community representation. However, those members will no longer be able to vote on committee decisions or be counted toward a quorum.
“While it is useful and appropriate that councils are able to make appointments that bolster the skills, attributes and knowledge of elected members, those individuals are not elected by ratepayers and therefore have no democratic accountability,” Watts said.
The Government said statutory committees and appointments established through Treaty settlement arrangements will be exempt from the changes. Committee members appointed under legislation outside the Local Government Act 2002 will also retain their voting rights.
The reforms are included in the Local Government (System Improvements) Bill currently before Parliament. If passed, councils will have six months to review their committee structures, delegations and appointments before the new rules come into force.
About time!