Browns Dirty Rotten Trick

“Many of us were surprised today when we saw the 9.5% rates increase figure splashed across the front of the newspapers, but in hindsight it is easy to see the path of Len Brown’s dirty rotten trick.”

Affordable Auckland Mayoral candidate Stephen Berry believes the voters of Auckland have been cynically played by Mayor Brown, from the 2013 election up until today.

“The first trick occurred before Brown was re-elected as Mayor, when he promised voters that the average rates increase would not exceed 2.5%. The Mayor made that promise with absolutely no intention of sticking to it.”

In November 2014 the Mayor changed his support from a 2.5% increase to a 3.5% increase within a week, saying at the Governing Body meeting, “I haven’t been able to find the savings to deliver on (the original plan). If the community doesn’t like the 3.5 they’ll say it..” Stephen Berry says, “The Mayor came to this new rates increase figure after dangling a spending plan in front of voters which attracted the right sort of supportive feedback. We now know it is the same tactic he has used this year.”

As the Council sought submissions on a new Long Term Plan in early 2015, they were presented with two different transport options; one being bigger and more expensive than the two. Fifty percent of submissions showed support for the more expensive plan. Funding options for the plan included the option of tolls which also had wide support. “This was a red herring which Len engineered to make it look like he had Auckland’s support. He presented a high spending plan to be funded in a manner the Council has no power to introduce and which central Government has made crystal clear is not going to happen.”

Last week the Mayor unveiled a plan for keeping rates at 2.5% but placing a targeted transport levy on top of 4% which would result in a total increase of 6.5%. This targeted rate was a response to support for the transport plan which had been presented but could not be funded by tolls. “It became obvious then that the entire submissions process had been manipulated into a way for Len Brown to present a mandate for increasing rates far beyond what he had initially promised. He ensured most submissions would support a plan for a big spending transport proposal so he could pretend he was obligated to ramp up rates.”

Unfortunately this isn’t end of the story, with more details of the plan he outlined a week ago being released. A combination of lower business rates and higher council valuations caused by the overheated property market means the total average rates increase will be in the region of 9.5%.

“Len Brown has played the people of Auckland like puppets with manipulative games of deceit. Now Auckland’s ratepayers need to tell the Mayor this increase is unacceptable and force him into a back down.”

“It is clear that 2016 will be Len Brown’s last as Mayor of Auckland.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media