Media release
Auckland councillor Cameron Brewer
Monday, 23 August 2011

Dropping $2m request for RWC right thing to do

The Auckland Council’s CEO’s formal withdrawal tonight of a request for up to $2m to cover any ‘unforeseen circumstances’ around the Rugby World Cup is welcome news for Auckland ratepayers,” says Auckland Councillor Cameron Brewer.

“I raised serious concerns today about the request to set up of a potential slush fund of $2m. I’m delighted the Chief Executive has now pulled the item from the Governing Body agenda for Thursday

"I have been warning for several months that ratepayers will be the ones left paying any wash-up from the Rugby World Cup. This latest failed request for a sneaky two million is only the beginning. Rest assured requests for more public money will only get more inventive after the tournament.

"Back in March when it was agreed that the quarter-finals for Christchurch needed to be relocated to Auckland, ratepayers were assured the extra $2.9m needed would be more than enough because officials had factored a 20% contingency into their budgets.

"Despite knowing since 2005 that Auckland was going to be the host city, and despite ratepayers already committing over $100m, and officials allowing for plenty of contingency, the request for another $2m just in case something unforeseen came up was disappointing to say the least.

"If something unforeseen comes up that six years of planning and $100m of ratepayers money hasn't accounted for, we can always convene an extraordinary meeting of the Governing Body within 24 hours, as the Chief Executive now acknowledges.

“The request to hand over a blank cheque to make it easy for non-elected officials to access more public money without any widespread political accountability was a dumb idea. I’m pleased the request has been dropped,” says Cameron Brewer.

ENDS

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