TOWN BOARD PROPOSAL

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 89, 11 July 1944, Page 5

TOWN BOARD PROPOSAL

STATUS OF OHOPE TURNED DOWN BY DEPART--MENT A communication received by Mr W. Sullivan, M.P., from the Minister of Internal Affairs, makes it plain that the Government will not permit the formation of a Town Board at. Ohope. in view of its policy of consolidation. The letter will be forwarded on to the Ohope Ratepayers' Association.

The communication reads: In r< gard to the Ohope Ratepayers' pet tion to have an Ohope Town Di: trict formed. The. position is tlu

no new local authorities of. this type have been created for some years past, in fact it has been the policy of the Government not to agree to new local districts being created. In pursuance of this policy the. Government had under serious consideration proposals for reducing the number of local authorities in the Dominion and generally altering the status of some of the present types of local authority. The recent Parliamentary Committee set up to investigate local body administration, will pay close attention to the question of the number and types of local authorities in the Dominion, with the object of deciding whether changes should be made. With, such an inquiry pending, and in view of the general policy, it is regretted that Ohope cannot be created a new Town District. It is felt that, further avenues should be explored with a view .to seeing whether the needs of the residents could not be met in some other way without having to resort to a new district.