Mayoral Candidate Craig Lord has backed the West Auckland Trusts Action Group and their campaign to end the monopoly held by the Waitakere and Portage Licensing Trusts.

“I just don’t like them on morals” says Lord, “they hold a monopoly over the community and trick them with cheap gifts like smoke alarms and dodgy first aid kits. They bring in way more than they hand out, and they refuse to show all of their financials, they won’t even tell the public what the CEO gets paid”

“Ditching the monopoly won’t stop money being raised by the Trusts, they just have to do it differently. But they have an empire and they don’t want to lose it”.

Lord also believes there is a conflict of interest involved with the Trusts.

“When you have people like Councillor Clow as President of the Portage Trust, who is also the Chairman of the Trusts Community Foundation which operates the pokies, and is also an owner of the company that runs the Trusts businesses - all while being an Auckland Councillor - you have to start questioning things. Then there are the moral issues with it all. On one hand you have Councillors elected to help the community, and help with the growth of the city, then on the other hand you have the same Councillors earning side funds with businesses that thrive on booze and gambling - two of societies biggest vices. That doesn’t sit right with me”

Lord is asking the West community to help remove the monopoly by signing the petition before the June 14 deadline.

“The Trusts Action Group are doing a good service. They believe that the Trusts are no longer required to control alcohol sales as they were back in 1972, the legislation is in place to control it now. I fully agree with them so the Trusts should devolve themselves, dump their mandate of booze and gambling and become a general community trust like the majority do around the country”.

“The Trusts stop competition, they hinder job creation, they are responsible for slowing down progress”

Lord knows that the Trusts will not change their ways without public pressure and is asking West Auckland to stand up for themselves by going to www.trustsaction.org.nz to sign.

Lord has released a video with further thoughts https://youtu.be/BBMLl4l1avM

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