Auckland City Council flayed by Parliament
The Auckland City Council has been savaged in a report by Parliament’s Environment an Local Government Select Committee. Some extracts:
We consider Auckland City Council’s description of the price rises for Metrowater customers as “modest” and “small” in the Statement of Proposal to have been misleading and to have led to the anxiety and concerns behind the petition.
We consider that the scale of the charitable payments engineered by the city council from Metrowater undermined the intent of the constitution of Metrowater when it was established by the council. The council should have revised the constitution rather than abusing the provisions providing for charitable payments.
We consider that the council could have kept the public better informed about the charitable payments, the rise in water rates, and the decision made to direct the payment from Metrowater into upgrading Auckland’s stormwater system. In future the council should ensure that the public is better informed and that its decisionmaking process is transparent.
We consider that the use of charitable payments in this way, and to this extent, is not best practice, and emphasise our concern that it should not be adopted by other local authorities.
We strongly advise Auckland City Council to reconsider its requirement for
charitable payments from Metrowater in the years 2007 to 2017.
Now be aware this report was unanimous on a select committee with National, Labour and Green MPs. So for Dick Hubbard to claim it was politically motivated is self serving spin.
The Herald reports that the only person on the City Council left supporting the policy, after this report, is Dick Hubbard. Can one imagine another three years of such leadership? Brian Rudman labels the Mayor’s position as suicidal.
September 21st, 2007 at 7:42 am
The way it was reported yesterday made it seem as though David Rankin (yes, Christine’s son apparently) had a major role in driving it and was still not willing to face up to the mess his stance has caused.
September 21st, 2007 at 9:26 am
Mike S – David Rankin is the ex husband of former WINZ chief Christine Rankin.
Hubbard is gone. he may even decide to withdraw from the race – the committee inquiry result is that bad for him.
September 21st, 2007 at 9:34 am
Dick is toast and no doubt the Labour Party have already decided that and will now deal with Banks hoping Banksie will stuff things up in time for the General Election campaign in 2008. But Banksie has learned and was learning in the latter part of his previous term on how to be a Mayor. He will be just fine.
September 21st, 2007 at 10:17 am
If politicans and political parties were governed like the rest of us by the Fair Trading Act The DICK would be locked up for misleading conduct Sadly we have one rule for us and they have another rule for them Animal farm springs to mind.
September 21st, 2007 at 11:17 am
I think there’s a good chance Swney will split the right vote – a lot of younger Aucklanders can’t bear Banks, and Swney looks a lot more go-ahead.
No real candidate left on the left now. Hubbard was really a centrist.
September 21st, 2007 at 11:23 am
Swney has as much chance as winning as Dr John Hinchcliff, ie – probably polling 5% if that.
No doubt the granny herald will be publishing a poll any day now, we’ll soon see if its a two horse race and whether the vaunted other candidates are jokes or not.