Councils' staff go rogue on densification

TL;DR: Even when young voters elect councillors and MPs they want with demands for more housing, there are plenty of forces behind the scenes able to subvert that democratic drive and re-establish the ‘democratic deficit’ behind our housing shortages for decades.The Dominion Post’s Erin Gourley reported on Saturday via Stuff that Wellington City Council staff had quietly reinserted 797 villas into the Council’s district plan, despite express instructions from Council after a heated debate and vote last year that character zones stopping building be cut by 72%. Paying subscribers can see more on that below the paywall fold and in the podcasts above. Should I open this up publicly later today? Paying subscribers can comment below.News elsewhere in our political economy this morning This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thekaka.substack.com/subscribe