Greater Wellington Regional Council has joined the Wellington Ratepayers’ Alliance in calling for a referendum before any council amalgamation can proceed.

Responding to council chairperson Daran Ponter’s statement that any amalgamation must be co-designed with the people who get the final say through a referendum, Alliance spokesman James Ross said:

“Ratepayers pay the bills, so ratepayers should decide what their local government looks like. Daran Ponter has hit the nail on the head, and the region’s mayors should now join him in demanding a referendum before any amalgamation.”

“Local Government Minister Simon Watts’ willingness to force through council mergers is the sticking point. He needs to guarantee that residents, not politicians and bureaucrats, will have the final say.”