DCC orders study on hospital issue

The Dunedin Hospital. Photo: ODT.
The Dunedin Hospital. Photo: ODT.
The Dunedin City Council will assess  the economic impact of having Dunedin Hospital in the central city in a bid to strengthen the case to keep it there.

The council-backed "Dunedin Hospital SOS" campaign has been supported by about 4000 people, who had sent forms in support of retaining a central-city location to Government  officials including Prime Minister Bill English.

In an update on the campaign at a council meeting this week,  councillors approved  an economic impact report to provide evidence of the worth of keeping a hospital in the central city.

Cr Chris Staynes said proof of the value of the current hospital’s economic impact on the central city would give "some security" to a proposal to keep it there.

About $15,000 has been spent on the SOS campaign since it started in March.

The money was  used for flyers, promotional videos, advertising, newsletters, a website and creating forms.

Council chief executive Sue Bidrose said the sum did not include staff time, which was not  recorded.

Mayor Dave Cull said the campaign would run until an indicative business plan, expected to be completed by the Southern Partnership Group by the end of the month, was released.

The campaign was criticised by Crs Andrew Whiley and Lee Vandervis for its lack of a detailed budget and end date.

It was "premature" to begin a campaigning for a hospital for which important design decisions such as whether it would be a high- or low-rise building had not been made, Cr Vandervis said.

Cr Whiley said while he voted in support of the campaign in February,  what he voted for and what it turned out to be were "two different things".

"The other part I’m struggling with is we have no end date; it seems like an open series of dollars — let’s keep spending, let’s spend, even though it is not a lot of money, there was no financial consideration in the first place."

Cr Mike Lord also voted against having an economic impact report.Council communications and marketing manager Graham McKerracher said spending on the campaign was not expected to increase significantly between now and the proposed release date of the rebuild business plan.

The fact the campaign did not have unanimous support from councillors was embarrassing, Cr Aaron Hawkins said.

"We have unanimous support from mayors around the region and from the Invercargill City Council. They understand, and to be honest I think it is a little bit embarrassing that we can have greater political support outside of this city ... "

The hospital business case is due to be heard by Government ministers in August.

margot.taylor@odt.co.nz

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