Brownlee says housing councillor should go

9:17 pm on 14 March 2013

The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery minister has called for a Christchurch City councillor who oversees the council's social housing portfolio to step aside, saying the council's response to housing has been woeful.

Gerry Brownlee says it's time for the council to pick up the pace and rapidly fix more of its social housing units.

He says Housing New Zealand has spent $19 million fixing and re-tenanting 212 of its worst damaged properties and a further 95 will be repaired and re-tenanted before June.

The minister says over the same period the council has closed 327 social housing units, repaired and re-let six and plans to have a total of 70 repaired by Christmas.

Mr Brownlee says it's time someone relieved the Community, Recreation and Culture Committee chairman, Yani Johanson, so more progress can be made.