Submissions make 2 things clear for Council

On Tuesday 14 May, Stratford District Council (SDC) elected members reviewed and deliberated on all 80 submissions received on the district’s draft Long Term Plan 2024-34.

District Mayor Neil Volzke says, “Conversations with our community during the consultation period and the submissions we received made two things very clear. That a rate increase more than 15% is pretty hard to swallow, and that our community values the services we provide and does not want to see them reduced.”

“These two key messages aligned well with the realistic and back to basics approach that guided our decision making through the development of this Long Term Plan,” says Mayor Volzke.

During the proceedings, gratitude for those who took the opportunity to voice their thoughts was shared around the chamber from elected members.

Deputy Mayor Min McKay who chaired the hearing says, “While submission numbers weren’t high, elected members were pleased to see a range of viewpoints that both challenged and supported the decisions that had gone into the draft LTP. We especially thank the 12 submitters who made themselves available to come and speak to their feedback as part of the hearing process.”

“A variety of ideas and information from our community and beyond was included in the submissions, which had us discussing the ins and outs of the plan in great detail until late in the evening,” she says.

Across the key issues presented in the Consultation Document, submissions overall showed support for strengthening the TET Multisport Stadium and War Memorial Centre, and leaving the Glockenspiel alone until further down the track. Retaining the existing level of service for road maintenance and increasing water infrastructure resilience by replacing the raw water delivery line to the water treatment plant also had community support.

The TSB Pool Complex had a more divisive response on the plan of action, with just over half responding to the question keen to see it demolished, and the rest wanting either nothing done to it, or for a detailed seismic assessment carried out and expressions of interest invited from the community to repurpose it.

Elected members debated the pros and cons of these options in detail, before eventually settling back on the original proposal to demolish in 2024/25 and return the area to grass. Any future development of the site would include consultation with the community at that point.

Other key areas of interest from submitters included the Brecon Road Bridges project, the Forestry Differential Roading Targeted Rate, the state of our roads both local and the state highways managed by Waka Kotahi, cleaning up Broadway with a particular emphasis on shop frontages, Wai o Rua – Stratford Aquatic Centre services, and the importance of keeping rates down.

Deputy Mayor McKay says, “We’ve worked hard to strike a balance between maintaining services to meet the expectations of our community and minimising rates increases as best as possible in the current financial climate.”

“Not all submitters will be pleased with the outcome of our deliberations. But I want them to know that every thought and opinion shared with us through the submission process helps us to better understand the community we serve.”

“Managing the push and pull, and finding a balance that we believe will be a positive outcome for the whole community, is what democracy is all about. I encourage everyone to take up the opportunities available to be part of community conversations and consultation processes as we move forward,” she says