What's My Scene

"...and another thing I've been wondering lately, am I crazy to believe in ideals?..."

I worked for local government for a time, including in the 1990s when National last attacked it.

I worked in the private sector too, and I've come to a range of conclusions, none of which I intend to address in this post.

The question to the Minister of Local Government on 15 February 2012 was a cause for reflection. As an employee in the private sector I am paid about 25% more than I was in local goverment, though I have a role that carries less responsibility and is less complex. In my case, the best reason to leave the private sector is ideological, there is no financial gain.

So the Minister's implication that remuneration in the local government sector is too high, or out of control, is flawed.

It would be interesting to see a question to the Minister about the relative proportions of budgets to in-house service provision against contracted out service provision. Followed perhaps by a question about the comparative increases in costs. The first question would certainly put the issue of staff costs into proportion.