Wellington, April 5 NZPA - Proposals to create an Auckland super city will be considered by Cabinet tomorrow.

Prime Minister John Key said last week that ministers would this Monday consider a Government response to a Royal Commission's ideas for local government reform in Auckland.

Politicians from six local authorities in Auckland have asked for taxpayers throughout New Zealand to help pay for the costs of change.

In an open letter to Local Government Minister Rodney Hide, they have also called for changes to a Royal Commission's proposals on electing councillors and for water ownership to be split into two companies.

NZPA understands that these and other issues will be addressed at the Cabinet meeting, as well as the controversial recommendation to greatly reduce local representation at community board level.

The Royal Commission into Auckland Governance report in late March proposed Auckland's regional council and seven territorial authorities be dissolved and replaced by a single unitary authority.

The new Auckland Council would have 23 councillors -- 10 elected by all Aucklanders, eight in four urban wards, two in two rural wards, two by voters on the Maori electoral roll, and one appointed by mana whenua.

Localised democracy would be through six elected local councils, which would be subsidiary to the greater Auckland Council.

The commission predicted Aucklanders could eventually save between $76 million and $113 million a year in rates if a super city structure was adopted.

But the councillors and mayors from six of the seven current city or district councils -- Rodney, North Shore, Wait akere, Manukau, Papakura and Franklin -- thought otherwise.

"The cost of reform will be significantly beyond the capacity of ratepayers to pay, has not been budgeted for in draft long-term plans, and the funding gaps should be met by the Government," said the letter to Mr Hide, released to media today.

The politicians said they agreed Auckland needs a strong new regional body but that the commission's proposal did not provide truly representative democracy.

In particular, they said the plan for 10 councillors elected by all Aucklanders should be ditched and that all ordinary members of the new council should be elected from wards.

"These proposals place too much power in the hands of too few who are not readily accountable to the diverse communities of the Auckland region."

The letter said quality, affordable water was essential for Auckland and there should be two council-controlled organisations, one for retail and one for bulk water supply.

This would retain the current pricing tension between bulk suppliers and the water retailers.

However, it said stormwater management use should lie with land use at a local level.

The letter supported a regional transport authority and were willing to work on a spatial plan for Auckland, a single district plan, the creation of one rates bill and a regional economic development agency.

It also wanted any decisions which affected Rodney and Franklin, which both had large rural areas, to be put off as the politicians thought their specific issues were not fully addressed by the commission report.

The six individual councils are set to also make their own responses to Mr Hide.

The letter's authors did not include anyone from Auckland City Council or Auckland Regional Council.

Much of the report has been welcomed since its release but there has been concern expressed by several commentators that the elimination of community boards meant the local had been removed from local government.

The Government is expected to release its response later this week.

For any changes to take effect in time for the 2010 local body elections, legislation would have to be introduced into Parliament later this year.

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