MEDIA RELEASE 15th April 2008

ARC SuperCity plan is a Money Grab

Suburban ratepayers will suffer

The proposal by the Auckland Regional Council for a new governance structure for the Auckland Region is a not-to-subtle plan to get control of all local government funding in the region – including the $1.3 billion (and rising) collected annually from ratepayers across the region.

The promise of 30-something Community Councils is a token move to suggest that democratic control will be exercised at a local level.

But without the power to set and spend rates the Community Councils will be toothless dogs.

Lots of bark but no bite.
The suggestion of savings and efficiencies of $160 million is pie in the sky.
There were some initial savings after the 1989 amalgamations in the region – but within three year those savings had disappeared and since then rates have increased astronomically.
Overseas experience clearly shows that projected cost savings arising from amalgamations of local councils are a myth.
Those proposing a SuperCity have only one aim – to get control of all council income in the region, about $2 billion, and divert most of it to major projects in the Auckland City CBD.
That can only lead huge rate increases, or significant central government funding.

Without either of those ratepayers in the suburbs will see declining services and neglected local infrastructure.
NoMoreRates will be making its own submissions to the Royal Commission based on protecting ratepayers from such blatant money-grabbing plans.

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