Have your say: Christchurch City Council

Since the Christmas break, we have been tackling a couple of big decisions at the Christchurch City Council.

In January we had an update from staff about the draft annual plan, and that the rates increase was looking like 5.6 percent rather than
the 14 percent increase initially forecast in November.

That is such a good improvement. Staff worked hard to find additional savings, going line-by-line through the proposed budget.
We’re now about to consult you on the Draft Annual Plan. I really encourage you to have your say – we need your feedback to give us a steer before finalising the Annual Plan in June.

Another decision which affects you all is proposed Plan Change 14 to allow broader housing intensification to enable the 2021 Resource Management Act (RMA) amendments. Last September, our Council decided not to notify this because it didn’t work well for Christchurch.
Over the past few months staff have been looking even further to see if the new law could work for our community, and within our geography. By the time you read this column, we would have decided whether or not to notify this change.

If we do notify, it is only the start of the next process and you will be able to have your say on the proposed plan change before we make a final decision in 2024.