The key issues for the Long-term Plan for the next 10 years are described in the consultation documents as being how much to spend on the three waters network to fix the pipes, how to manage waste collection and recycling, and whether or not to sell the WCC Airport shares to set up a ‘resilience fund’. Other proposed changes include a proposal to introduce parking fees in suburban centres, including Newtown and Berhampore.

We agree that these are all very important issues, but we know that there are a range of different views among our members about how they should be dealt with. Because of this we didn’t take a position on any of these issues in our submission.

Our submission covers local issues that might otherwise be overlooked. These are the topics –

• Redevelopment of the former Bowling Club at 177 Owen Street
• Toilets for Carrara Park
• Proposing a future project – more parks and playspaces
• A request to extend the Pōneke Promise programme, or something similar, into our local area
• More funding for the arts and cultural sectors
• A request to upgrade the Newtown suburban town centre