Posted on 13-1-2002

Auckland City - Alternatives

Before Christmas, 40 people attended a public meeting called at short
notice to discuss action against the cutbacks in the role and function of
Auckland city Council as proposed in the Bill Birch report. A further
public meeting is planned for TUESDAY 22 JANUARY, 7.30pm to 9pm at the
Freeman's Bay Community Centre in Hepburn St.

The purpose of the meeting is to continue discussion and networking on
action to resist these changes and to support democratically developed
alternatives that are in the interests of all Auckland City citizens and
residents.

You will recall that Birch recommended that the Council withdraw from all
services except those that can't be charged for - street lighting and
parks. At its meeting on 19 December, the Council accepted the general
approach of the Birch report while not accepting all the detail. These
decisions are currently being analysed and this should be available at the
public meeting. On 21 December, John Banks justified these decisions in the
NZ Herald by saying they are necessary to avoid a "mountain of debt". You
may recall that this was the excuse used by the 1984 Labour Government for
cutbacks to Public Services, the 1988 Labour government for privatisations
especially Telecom, and again by the 1990 National government to justify
cuts to welfare spending and other social security measures. Surely we
don’t intend to let them have a fourth drink from that particular well,
especially when Auckland City Council is well within the now legislated
limits for local government debt.