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Significance Policy

Status: Approved by the Council on 29 July 2009

Background

Councils must have a Policy on Significance. These requirements are set out in sections 90 and 278 of the Local Government Act 2002.

Once a decision is determined as significant according to the approach, criteria and procedures of this policy, or by Council resolution, the decision-making provisions contained in section 76(3)(b) of the Act will be observed.

New Plymouth District Council's general approach to significance

The Local Government Act 2002 requires local authorities to set out their 'general approach to determining the significance of proposals and decisions in relation to issues, assets, or other matters' (s90(1)(a)).

New Plymouth District Council will determine the significance of any issue requiring a decision by making judgements according to the likely impact of that decision on:

1. The current and future cultural, economic, environmental and social well-being of the district or region.
2. The achievement of, or ability to achieve, the Council's stated levels of service as set out in the 2009-2019 Community Plan.
3. Any persons who are likely to be particularly affected by, or interested in, the issue, proposal, decision or matter.
4. The capacity of the local authority to perform its role and carry out its activities, now and in the future.
5. The financial, resource and other costs of the decision.

The Council will also take into account views already expressed in the community and make judgements on the level of support for those views, when determining the significance of a decision.

Thresholds, criteria and procedures

Any thresholds, criteria, and procedures that councils use for assessing the significance of a matter must be included as part of their Policy on Significance (s90(1)(b)).

The range of issues requiring decisions by local authorities is very wide and it is impossible to foresee every possibility. It is therefore recommended that thresholds are not used to determine significance. The use of the following proposed procedure will be used to determine significance.

Procedure for determining significance

1. Identification of an issue requiring a Council decision.
2. An assessment of significance, using New Plymouth District Council's general approach to significance (set out above).
3. Officer or other professional advice on significance and options.
4. Council consideration and final decision-making on the:
   1. Degree of significance of the issue.
   2. Appropriate level and type of consultation.

Advice from Council officers will, in normal circumstances, come via the Council approved report format. This format specifically alerts elected members to significant impacts as set out in the Council's general approach above.

Strategic assets

This policy must list those Council-owned assets, deemed by the Council to be strategic. This requirement is set out in section 90(2).

The Local Government Act 2002 defines strategic assets as:

"An asset or group of assets that the local authority needs to retain if the local authority is to maintain the local authority's capacity to achieve or promote any outcome that the local authority determines to be important to the current or future well-being of the community; and includes:

1. Any asset or group of assets listed in accordance with section 90(2) by the local authority; and
2. Any land or building owned by the local authority and required to maintain the local authority's capacity to provide affordable housing as part of its social policy; and
3. Any equity securities held by the local authority in:
   - A port company within the meaning of the Port Companies Act 1988.
   - An airport company within the meaning of the Airport Authorities Act 1966."

On the next page is a matrix of New Plymouth District Council's owned assets and their relationship to the Council's seven Community Outcomes. Only those assets that are important to achieving the Council's Community Outcomes have been included.

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