Brian Anderson The Western Front www.sunlive.co.nz

The bastardisation of the word ‘community' in local government politics could be the reason for the current dislocation of our communities from our nominal leaders.

After my reporting on recession in the last two weeks, my promise of a suggestion for a way forward for our communities doesn't need any great explanation or complex theory. Our next move as a community is quite simple. Societies evolved from family groups to nomadic tribes on to settled communities. The basic rules of any settled community, town or village does not change and doesn't need to be taught. No matter what calamity threatens a community, the people gather round for mutual support and protection. It is a shame that neither regional or district councils' wildly varied concepts of a community do not extend to planning for the needs, development or even the function of towns. We need to get back to basics, rekindle a well known formula for community success where towns have structure we understand and with leaders we trust.

What does council really know about our towns? When data on a town is reduced to a set of statistics derived from a series of inane questions of the type, ‘Are you happy with your council?', there is very little room for interpretation for local input in council planning. The Community Outcomes research findings that are still being quoted by the council have been analysed and found to be of doubtful value.

Community boards are supposed to be the link between a community and the council, but the council prefers to publish information directly to the people when it suits them and no publication ever refers to community aspirations. Councillors work directly with isolated problems in a town without any reference to the community boards. The new Community Partnership Sub Committee openly advertises itself as another link with council, but it works with small interest groups again with no direct link to the overall community stating the councillors should report to them. The tangata whenua have their own forum with direct access to the council.

We are left living in statistical mesh blocks driven by multiple committees, with no overall leadership, with the illusion that much is happening and with volumes of paper that not even councillors could ever read in time let alone digest or question. Loads of talk, very little accomplished, no direction and local leadership or questioning of council is actively discouraged.

If our economic situation deteriorates even more, whether it is caused by poor local planning or the Global Financial Crisis, we won't have time for the mindless demanding protests that are in the news lately. Service towns like TePuke and Katikati will have to close ranks, find leadership within their own communities and start looking after each other. There is no time for planning grandiose projects with the associated monumental debt. We need genuine information on our town, the people in it, what they can contribute. If we are going to make a statement, let's make a local stand for the social, cultural, economic welfare and health of our neighbours. We don't want any more debt wrapped round our necks. We don't want to be divided by council with peace offerings to noisy disaffected special interest groups. If we can get back together and gain some basic form of overall community direction, leaders will appear. They always do in a time of need. When Graham Henry was congratulated on the way he had handled the leadership of the All Blacks, he replied that they were all leaders who were capable of standing up in any situation they were needed.

Before the Rugby World Cup and before the Rena, very few of us would have given the Bay of Plenty any chance of ever being able to come together to climb out of the crazy hole that council is digging for us. Despite years of rejection by the community and a Maori red card, the 10 year Kauri Point Boat Ramp project spending continues. The $5.3m Katikati Town Centre project, initially not high priority for the town, continues and the budget is now up to more than $12m for the town to have to finance.

Waihi Beach relationships have hit a wall and Omokoroa's 12,000 residents haven't arrived yet. The council continues to spend with our debt mounting more than $160m or $2600 per person – and the council hasn't stopped yet. It is time for the fairy tales to end and get back to basics. The council frequently mentions ‘Local solutions for local people' – we might have to take them up on that.