What is the LTCCP?
Each council in New Zealand is required to produce a 10 year planning document known as its Long-Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP).
The LTCCP outlines what Council plans to do over a 10 year period and examines its activities, costs, how they will be paid for and how they will benefit the community. The plan is then re-examined every three years.
The LTCCP is one of Council’s most important documents. It determines how budgets will be managed, how Council will use its resources and communicates the city’s vision and future aspirations. The overall objective is to deliver an affordable and balanced response to the city’s environmental, social, cultural and economic well-being.
The LTCCP is broken into two volumes:
Changes to the 2009-19 LTCCP
Although the 2009-19 LTCCP sets out Council's direction for the next 10 years, changes to its operations during this period are often inevitable. Reasons for such changes include:
• Unforseen changes to the timing and cost of projects and programmes.
• More detailed/updated information becomes available.
• Changes in funding arrangements from other providers/organisations that are co-funding a specific project or programme.
• Changes to central government legislation that impact on Council’s operations.
• Changes in the priorities of elected members.
• Changes in expectations/priorities from Hamilton’s residents.
• Or even circumstances such as natural disasters or other environmental incidents.
Such changes are categorised as being either Amendments or Variations to the base 2009-19 LTCCP depending on the nature and significance of the proposed change.
Council's 2010/11 Annual Plan contains a number of Variations and three Amendments to the LTCCP. The three 2010/11 Amendments are:
- Amendment to Council's Development and Financial Contributions Policy
- Amendment to Council's Revenue and Financing Policy
- Amendment to Council's Liability Management Policy - Counterparty Credit Risk.
These three Amendments (Section 6.0 of the 2010/11 Annual Plan) and the Variations (Section 4.0 of the 2010/11 Annual Plan) should be read in conjunction with the 2009-19 LTCCP.
Audit New Zealand has also provided a statement that outlines the relationship of the three Amendments to the 2009-19 LTCCP. | 
