Local self-government is the basis of democracy and the arena in which people can participate, but this fact is being ignored by the Minister. The Local Government Act 2001, in which it was promised that elected representatives' commitment of service to the community would be strengthened, is also being ignored. By doing so, the Government will remove power from the democratically elected local representatives and transfer it to managers who are not answerable to the public. The proposal will effectively emasculate local authority members and the voice of the people they represent will be silenced.