Media release

Auckland Councillor Cameron Brewer

Wednesday, 20 June 2012

A Third Of Councillors Vote Against User-Pays Rubbish

Auckland Council has passed its much debated Waste Management And Minimisation Plan, which among other things will see householders in the former Auckland City and Manukau areas having to get used to user-pays household rubbish plus a growing general rates contribution to subsidise a gold-plated new waste collection system to be implemented from 2015, says Auckland Councillor for Orakei, Cameron Brewer.

"It's a double whammy for residents in the former Auckland City and Manuaku areas which make up 55% of the region’s households. They will continue to subsidise the new rubbish system through their general rates, plus pay every time their household refuse is collected. I wouldn't mind so much if it was one or the other, but it's both. The ticket's going to be clipped twice, and again it's another cost loaded onto the stretched Auckland ratepayer.

"Not to mention the huge one-off capital costs with the likes of new wheelie bins and new electronic tags. Did we really need to completely overhaul the way we collect Aucklanders' rubbish when everyone seems pretty happy and is making a good effort to recycle? The answer is no. A complete overhaul is not a statutory requirement, only writing a plan is. This is a just one big pet project that will cost ratepayers a packet and unnecessarily upset a lot of people.”

Mr Brewer says revised figures show the annual contribution from general rates will increase from $73m to $92m over the coming decade. He says such an on-going rise in the operational subsidy is unacceptable given the advent of user-pays and the fact that there'll be supposedly falling amounts of rubbish for contractors to collect and process - as much as 30 percent less in the first three years proponents claim. Sadly however, the costs on ratepayers will keep heading north and a 10-year analysis on the plan’s impact to rates shows just that.

"We didn't need a flash Ferrari-type rubbish system as proponents describe it. A V6 Holden would have been fine given these economic times. It's just another hit in the pocket for the former Auckland City and Manukau ratepayers and another rates rise in disguise. Auckland is going to get very expensive very soon, if the Mayor doesn't pause for a cup of tea,” says Mr Brewer.

The seven councillors to vote against the user-pays funding model were Cameron Brewer, Mike Lee, Calum Penrose, Dick Quax, Sharon Stewart, Sir John Walker, and George Wood.

ENDS

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