A good start

Stuff reports:

In his inauguration speech on Friday night, Auckland’s new mayor Wayne Brown said a “fiscal storm” coming Aucklanders’ way has begun, and he used it as a scene-setter for unprecedented restructuring at Auckland Council.

Brown is eyeing up to $25 million in cuts to head office spending.

That would be a good start.

He said the same approach needed to be taken to every part of the council, its agencies and the port company.

“We need to apply the test: ‘Less is more’ – and ask ourselves, about every activity and line of expenditure: ‘If we stop doing this, would anyone notice?’

If only we could get that philosophy into central Government.