Palmerston North's Lorna Johnson: Council does much more than the basics

Palmerston North City Council is continuing to build warm, sustainable social housing for our seniors. Photo / Supplied

Opinion:

When you think about what the council does, the first things that probably come to mind are basic services: water, roads, sewage, rubbish and recycling.

Our council takes care of these as well as being charged with much more than simply delivering the basics. The Local Government Act also makes us responsible for delivering what are often referred to as the four wellbeings - economic, social, environmental and cultural.

In addition, being a connected and safe community is one of the council's four main strategic goals for the city.

The Community Development Committee, which I chair, helps the council deliver on these wellbeings and goals. This committee meets quarterly and deals with a wide range of issues - from community organisations, grants and events, to Civil Defence, public health, social housing and libraries.

I also lead the people and community portfolio team, which covers multicultural, children and families, youth and seniors, and I am on the portfolio teams for housing and climate change.

These council committees and portfolios help ensure Palmy is a good and safe place to live for people of all ages and abilities.

If there are any issues in these areas, residents can engage directly about them by asking to speak to a council committee.

Since I was elected to the council in 2016, I've heard from many community groups and concerned citizens who have done just that.

There are two options for talking to a committee. You can either make a public comment on an agenda item on the day, or request to make a presentation to the committee through the chair or committee administrator beforehand.

These are great ways to let elected members know about things that matter to you - as well, no doubt, to other residents.

You can track how the council is doing on mandated wellbeings and city goals by having a look at the dashboards on the pncc.govt.nz website. Among other things, they show we're continuing to build much-needed warm, sustainable social housing for our seniors.

We've gained accreditation as an established Welcoming Community, and attained Safe City status. We continue to provide funding and advice for community support, while our diverse and entertaining library programmes get a great reception.

A question we asked on the council website was: "Is Palmerston North a caring city that looks after people?" Seventy-five per cent responded yes.

That's exactly the sort of city I want to live in, and that's what drives me in my day-to-day work as one of your city councillors.

• Lorna Johnson is a Palmerston North city councillor.