$1.2M Fitzroy Steps -Version 2

Sam Bennett’s Views on the Fitzroy $1.2M Steps

In a recent Stratford Press article Sam Bennett explains why specifically at Fitzroy Beach, with the extremely steep access to the beach, accessibility access must be provided.

This is a Council project with an estimated price tag of only $1.2M which is not a big number in the overall scheme of Council spending, so you may think why would we run a second item about this on our Facebook page. Of course we would need to trust the $1.2M doesn’t turn into $3M or more.

The thing is when our Councillors tell us where they stand on the small issues, they are also telling us where they stand on the big issues. Two of those big issues in the last 2 weeks have ratepayers being subjected to a $27M shortfall and a $37 M loss. All the losses, no matter how big or how small, all add up, and decisions are being made about spending our rates, and borrowing money, in the same way as outlined in this story.

This is a story mostly about irony – Sam is championing for what he considers is a neglected group of the community – but his Council is making life extremely difficult for that same group of the community.

Sam is quoted in the article:

“I’m involved with a lot of groups such as Grey Power, Positive Ageing, Age Concern Taranaki, Enabling Good Lives, all organisations that represent people who may have accessibility issues, and in each group people are telling me they feel like they’re being treated like second-class citizens. They feel they are an afterthought.”

The Alliance would like to ask how in touch really is Sam with the members who belong to Grey Power, Positive Ageing and Age Concern. We are very aware of elderly people on a fixed income pension who are seriously considering having to sell their home because they can’t afford to pay their rates.  For some pensioners they are heading toward their rates being 20% of the income they have for the entire year.

Where are these people going to live when they can no longer afford to live in their own home ?

Are you affected by your rates increase impacting on whether you can stay living in your home ? Do you have elderly parents or family affected by this issue ? Perhaps you would like to e-mail Sam Bennett and let him know if his way of thinking is not helpful for you or your family ? Sam’s e-mail address is:

sam.bennett@npdc.govt.nz

Sam Bennett also thinks it is important for the Council to keep creating big projects. Sam again quoted:

“When we go to build a new asset, we need to think about building that asset for the mainstream of the community, and the mainstream community is inclusive of everyone, irrespective of whether you’ve got a disability or an impairment with your age.”

The Ratepayers Alliance would like to ask, when the committee meets to talk about upgrading assets, do they just jump into what would be the most amazing option we could build there ? Or do they ask if there is a cost effective alternative to how to address the issue in front of them ?

A cost effective option which means pensioners on fixed incomes, who also have accessibility issues, are not being rated out of their homes with these expensive projects and large increases in rates.

Last week the Ratepayers Alliance suggested signs could be put in at Beach Street to divert people with accessibility issues to East End Beach in Strandon – a 500m diversion to flat, safe access to the walkway and beach.

Sam thought this was inconvenient:

Why should those people have to go 500 metres that way or that way when they can come there?”

How about another low cost alternative for Sam if gaining access at Strandon is not convenient.

How about the steep road down to Fitzroy Beach is turned into a shared space like outside the New Plymouth Library. The speed limit is set to just 5km an hour and everyone very slowly works their way up and down the hill in a shared space, with whatever mobility devices and cars they have. It’s worked at the library – there has been no injuries – so it’s not a health and safety issue ?

Is that a possible alternative option that won’t cost $1.2M and won’t push elderly people out of their homes because their rates are too high?

We’d also like to highlight a comment by Sam Bennett in the Stratford Press article:

“If we just replace the steps, who is that going to serve? Not everyone. It will serve the tyranny of the majority, and override the minority of people that have these accessibility issues, and that’s not fair.”

What does Sam Bennett mean by the “Tyranny of the Majority” ?

Would the majority be the people who pay the rates and the rents -  (due to the rates putting rents up) ?

Are the ratepayers and renters of New Plymouth a Tyranny ? What on earth does Sam Bennett mean by this comment ? You may like to ask him – his e-mail address is listed above.

 Sam is quoted again:

“I know that times are tough, but this project is going to go ahead early next year, and it will be it will be a game changer for our community.”

So does that mean the Tyranny of the Majority – the Ratepayers and Renters – have no say, this project is happening regardless of whether the elderly can afford to pay the increased rates due on their homes and it’s happening regardless of whether the majority of New Plymouth wants this expensive option ?

Where is the democracy in our Council processes with this asset upgrade and the way of thinking about the majority of people who live in New Plymouth ?

We’ve run two stories this week which highlight the need to think carefully about who people want to represent them when they are voting next time. The local government people representing us may not always be how they appear when they are campaigning.