Rates will never be enough – councils need the power to raise money in other ways

Rates will never be enough – councils need the power to raise money in other ways

Getty ImagesYou might have recently received voting papers for your local body elections. Going by our historically low participation rates, many of those envelopes will remain unopened. This is a shame, because New Zealand’s local authorities face major financial challenges that affect nearly everyone. Only by increasing democratic engagement and giving ratepayers more reason to vote will real change happen. Local Government New Zealand recentl…

Why Local Councils Are Going BANKRUPT

Economist Tejvan Pettinger looks at why many local councils are getting close to bankruptcy in England. Scottish councils are facing significant financial challenges, though the situation differs somewhat from England.