27. 11. 96

SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT FROM THE CITY MANAGER

1. JOINT FORUM WITH CHRISTCHURCH MEMBERS' OF PARLIAMENT

The purpose of this report is to record the main outcome of a recent meeting with Christchurch MPs and to put in place a small Council team to work with those MPs on social issues, with particular reference to children and youth issues, as they affect the Christchurch Community.

Thirteen Christchurch resident MPs met with City Councillors on 25 November. A presentation was made on Council's perception of social and youth/children's issues in Christchurch and the steps which the City Council has in place to address aspects of them.

The proposition that MPs and Council should work together to produce a framework for achieving better outcomes for the Christchurch Community were strongly supported by most at the meeting and there was no dissent.

It was agreed that the next step would be for a joint task group of City Council elected members and MPs to begin to look at ways of achieving this outcomes. An MP from each of the Alliance, Labour, National and New Zealand First parties will join such a task group. These MP task group members will undertake to keep their MP colleagues briefed as to the task group's progress.

I would recommend that a parallel concept be applied to City Council membership and that in the spirit of the partnership Council nominate four elected members to represent and progress its interests on behalf of the Christchurch Community.

Recommendation: That the Mayor, Chair of Community Services Committee and two other Councillors represent Council on a Joint Task Group with four Christchurch resident MPs. (The purpose of the Task Group is to look at ways of securing more effective outcome from public sector expenditure on social programmes in Christchurch with particular reference to those impacting on children and young people.)

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