Pooling our resources

Another u-turn from our council. This time swimming pools get more funding (but not other important resources like libraries). Perhaps that’s another u–turn yet to come, as the election gets closer? Funny how councils listening abilities heighten as elections begin to appear on the horizon.

Whether you agree with this extra funding or not, of real concern is the decision making that is being made in our council. Does our council really know what they are doing? Because their decision making is looking more and more irrational. A bit like the mayors comment that she supports the golden mile being a pedestrian area, while at the same time ripping up manners mall?

Right now our councils decision making abilities looks more like “speed” – a bus, hurtling around the streets of Wellington without a qualified driver and waiting for the debt to explode. Although you might be forgiven for thinking it was based on something else?

But at least some sanity has arrived. Albeit forced upon our council. It now appears perhaps its a good idea to partner with schools over our pools. Goodness me, are we now seeing some signs of collaboration and co-operation, that we have not seen with the carnival fiasco?

Although, I must put a caveat here. It’s not clear how this partnership fund is suppose to work for the benefit of both parties. Are we rationalising pool resources in the city, or just helping schools fund their own pools?

So how did we get to this u-turn (or back-down, as some are calling it)? Well actually, there have been 2 u-turns. Talk about well reasoned and thought out decision-making? Not on this council.

The first u-turn was before the draft annual plan was finalised. Apparently the mayor and a councillor decided at the very last minute to reduce the original proposal to help fund refurbishing of school pools from $2 million to $500k (spread over 2 years). At the time, the mayor clearly thought this reduction in funding was a good idea and other councillors supported it. The justification being that it was better to spend the money on a new 25-metre, 10-lane pool (in Kilbirnie), at the same time that the hydrotherapy pool was being built (a $500k saving). Hence in the draft annual plan, funding was set at $500k.

However, last week, the council approved a different plan? In a second u-turn it decided to increase the planned $500k funding for school pools back to the original $2 million (although this time spread over 3 years: 500k now, $1 million net year, and $500k the following year). So much for the mayor’s earlier justification for not funding the carnival on the basis Wellington cannot afford it? Where this now leaves  Kilbirnie pool is also unclear?

And what brought about this change of heart? Well, apparently councillor Helene Ritchie wrote to 43 schools in Wellington that had originally indicated that they were interested in a partnership with the council, and urged them to make submissions to the council to change their mind. It seems it takes 43 voices of discontent to change council’s decision making. An interesting precedent when you consider there are over 3,000 Wellingtonian’s on facebook calling for the axed cuba street carnival to be brought back.

And what do I think about council funds for school pools. Well, as I suggested above, it has to be for the benefit of both parties for it be a real partnership. Otherwise council is just funding activities that ought to be funded by the Ministry of Education. I’m not sure that is council’s function?

Don’t get me wrong, I think its important for kids to learn to swim. I take my own son regularly to Kilbirnie pool, as does the Brooklyn school he attends. But I think we need real partnership in funding Wellington’s pool resources, under a coherent and well thought out strategy. Perhaps its in the detail? But I’m not seeing it here.

Perhaps council should be collaborating with the Ministry of Education and local schools to see if a more coherent swimming pool strategy for the benefit of wider Wellington region is possible. After all, as our mayor keeps reminding us we’re in a recession. Perhaps a strategy that saves schools and the council money. That’s real partnership.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/local/the-wellingtonian/3791275/Public-pressure-forces-council-backdown, http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/local/the-wellingtonian/3791286/Editorial-Read-the-writing-on-the-wall

Investing in our communities, not centralising them

Tonight I, and about 100 other people, turned out to hear Bob McKee speak about the importance of free public access to library services. I and others share his concern (see item below on losing Brooklyn library).

Library services should be free and that includes no backdoor revenue grabs through fines. In the UK they just stop issuing you books until you return the old ones. An example of a different way of meeting the same goal, without penalising people. But his speech also confirmed for me that there was another way to grow our communities.

You may have recently read in the CityLife Herald (19 May 2010) that Khandallah village is dying. A similar fate may be lurking in WCC policy for Brooklyn. Unfortunately there is deafening silence from the WCC.

In fact in all likelihood it is probably current WCC thinking and policy (and myopic vision) that has strangled the life out of Khandallah and many other similar communities. But perhaps, there is a solution. Although it is totally counter to the current thinking at WCC which looks to maximise its resources by increasing pricing and cutting costs by centralisation.

Perhaps the answer is to look at investing in our community resources (not cutting them). And here I come back to Bob’s speech. Bob spoke about how the UK experience had enabled businesses and communities to grow together. Libraries need not be quiet spaces (have they ever?) tucked away in the back and left to suffocate and wither.

Rather, they can be community hubs that include cafes, bookshops, indoor childrens play areas, start-up businesses, community facilities, law centres, pharmacies, and other like minded businesses. Co-operating and partnering with business in order to create vibrant hubs that draw people into the community, thus enabling other businesses in the community to also flourish as the foot traffic increases.

It seems to have worked in the central library, and if McDonald’s can create children’s play areas and cafes to grow their business, why can’t we apply a similar strategy to our libraries, in order to grow our communities. And if communities grow, then WCC will have created a bigger revenue pie to fund all the things it wants to fund, without having to make cuts.

Sounds like its to good to be true. Well, according to Bob, the UK experience has proved it. Its time to think outside the square.

Lets grow our communities, not centralise them.

http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/national/ntn/2010/05/25/are_the_days_of_free_public_libraries_coming_to_an_end