Fears Environment Canterbury elections won't happen

There's concern the elections promised next year for Environment Canterbury won't take place.

ECan's currently being run by commissioners after the government sacked its councillors in 2010 for poor performance.

Full elections had been promised next year.

But Green MP, and former ECan Councillor, Eugenie Sage fears that might not happen.

She says former Local Government Minister Nick Smith has told a meeting in Ashburton he hoped the new council would be a mix of elected and Government appointed representatives.

"That would potentially politicise regional councils, it would reduce democracy and so it needs to be quite carefully considered as to what skills and expertise such appointees would bring."

Full democracy at Environment Canterbury is unlikely anytime soon because the government's considering appointing a mix of its own members and elected councillors when elections are held next year.

Local government minister David Carter says all options are on the table, but it's absolutely paramount there's a functioning regional council for Canterbury.

"The previous regional council, when it was an elected representative and Eugenie Sage was one of those councillors, was totally dysfunctional. We cannot allow that situation to ever develop again."

Mr Carter says the Government doesn't want a return to the previous dysfunction at the council - so he's looking at the move.

"We'll be making decisions over the next couple of months. All options are being investigated at the moment, I cannot tell you what will be the result of those decisions until cabinet has made that decision."