Have your say on $10m Cathedral grant

It is time for you to have your say on whether Christchurch City Council should commit $10 million towards the costs of restoring ChristChurch Cathedral.

In an attempt to end the uncertainty over the fate of the earthquake damaged Cathedral, the Council earlier this year agreed in principle to give a grant of $10 million to reinstate the Cathedral as the centre-piece of the city.

The earthquake damaged ChristChurch Cathedral.

The Council’s contribution was made subject to a special consultative procedure so it could be considered as part of the 2018-28 Long Term Plan.

This week marks the start of the consultation with the community.

“As a Council we made the decision to offer a grant of $10 million towards the reinstatement of the Cathedral as we wanted to bring an end to the uncertainty over its future and move forward because the lack of a decision was holding the city back,’’ said Mayor Lianne Dalziel.

“However, we have made it very clear that we cannot finalise our contribution towards the Cathedral’s reinstatement until we have consulted with our community.

“This process of consultation will enable Council to consider the grant, and the terms under which such a grant can be made, taking into account all perspectives,’’ the Mayor said.

You can find more information and give your feedback at Have Your Say.

Key things to know

• The Council’s grant of $10 million is proposed to be paid out over the period of the rebuild.

• The Council proposes that the mechanism used to fund the grant will be an annual targeted rate of $12 for each of the Council’s rating units, for a period of six years.

• It is proposed the Council’s contribution will not be called upon until the other agreed sources of funding (insurance, philanthropic donations, money from the Government) have been used.

• The Council has signaled that if fundraising efforts for the Cathedral exceed targeted levels, it will adjust the size of its grant accordingly.