Auckland councils are currently making a last ditch effort to limit the power new unelected agencies will wield in the super city.

The councils are finalizing their submissions to the Auckland governance select committee before Friday’s deadline. Many fear that the elected super city council will lose control of some of the most important aspects of local government.

This is the council’s last chance to persuade MPs before the Super City blue print is locked into law.

The third and final Super City Bill sets out the establishment of the smaller local boards to sit below the Super City council. It creates the so called council controlled organizations which are council owned agencies overseeing water services, transport, economic development and the waterfront development among others. The agencies will be run as companies by appointed boards not by the council itself.

Mayor Williams is asking the Government to leave some of the details for the establishment of council controlled organizations out of the legislation.

“We were told at the beginning that there would be one Mayor, one voice and one council. What we are actually seeing is one council, eight boards of directors and 19 local boards -  all of which aren’t too sure of exactly what they will be doing in the new Auckland Council set up.”

“The rest of the set up can then be picked up by the new council, allowing Aucklanders to say how the important entities are run.”

Mayor Williams says it is important that the new boards have a real say.

“The worst fear is that these boards could end up just being glorified neighborhood watch groups with very little power – tinkering around the edges of the Auckland council and the council itself being run mainly by these council controlled organizations of non-elected board directors.”

Most of the councils are finalizing their submissions in the next two days. The select committee will report back in May.