Media Release
City Vision-Labour Councillors - Auckland City Council

For Immediate Release
Wednesday 6 May 2009

C&R Councillors Slash Vital Citizens Advice Bureaux Funding

At Auckland City Council’s Community Services committee today, the Citizens and Ratepayers (C&R) Councillors voted en bloc to slash the city’s partnership funding of the Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB) by $65,000 annually, a cut of over 10% per year.

The Community Services Committee Chair, C&R Councillor Paul Goldsmith, used his casting vote to defeat amendments; firstly to increase the CAB grant in response to their increased workload in these times of recession and unemployment; and then secondly simply to retain the current annual grant of $642,000.

Councillor Richard Northey said, “I was profoundly saddened by C&R Councillors’ wanton destruction of 40 years of effective partnership between the Auckland City Council and the wonderful and effective volunteer organisation that the CAB represents.  Aucklanders suffering from personal and financial crises, and in desperate need of advice over essential needs like housing and jobs, are the people who will suffer most from this devastating C&R decision.”

Councillor Graeme Easte said, “I was shocked that this savage cut came with no warning at a time when the CAB is needed more than ever.”

Councillor Cathy Casey said, “It is a travesty to me that this C&R Council is willing to spend $120,000 on a civic cheese and wine budget for the Rugby World Cup VIPS and have just cut the CAB funding by $65,000.”

Hauraki Gulf Islands Councillor Denise Roche said, “I’m really worried about how these cuts are going to impact on Citizens Advice Bureaux in Auckland’s smaller and more socially deprived communities where they desperately need these services that support people in financial hardship especially as there is going to be more need for these services in the coming months and years.”

Councillor Glenda Fryer said, “I am outraged that C&R have cut this budget.  We can’t just leave it to the churches to pick up the slack, it is also a civic responsibility and the Council must provide adequate budget for CAB staff and volunteers.  According to the Royal Commission on Auckland Governance, social wellbeing is a core function for Councils and once again, C&R are showing their disregard for this.”

Councillor Leila Boyle said, “I am extremely disturbed that supposedly business-savvy C&R councillors either cannot understand or won’t admit that it is financially prudent for an organisation to have 3 months worth of operating capital available to it.  The CAB has a responsibility to its employees and clients to make sure it is financially viable and it is extremely unfair that C&R used the CAB’s $250,000 operating capital as an excuse for this funding cut.”

ENDS

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