Council Not Submitting Head Start Proposal But Commits To Ongoing ReformRuapehu District Council will not be submitting a unitary authority amalgamation proposal under the Government's Simplifying Local Government "Head Start" pathway. The Government invited councils to submit proposals by 9 August for new unitary authority arrangements that would combine district and regional council functions into a single council. As no proposal will be submitted, Ruapehu District Council will now move into the Government's "Back Stop" process. When the Head Start pathway was first announced, I believed putting forward a proposal would give Ruapehu the best opportunity to influence its future," Mayor Kirton said. Public statements from other regional mayors indicate that so far, no Head Start amalgamation proposals will be submitted from within the Horizons region before the Government's deadline.