Friday, 18 December 2020, 12:34 pm With Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta today ruling out a Royal Commission on Local Government, Cr Gwynn Compton, who made the call for a Royal Commission three weeks ago, says the Government’s refusal demonstrates it is living in denial about the scale of the issues facing the local government sector. “In just the three weeks since I called for a Royal Commission on Local Government we’ve already seen a commissioner installed in Tauranga, external observers appointed in Invercargill, and Auckland, New Plymouth, and Wellington City all facing major hikes to their annual rates increases to deal with issues that have