Posted on 8-5-2004
Battle
For Auckland
7 June 2004
Auckland Mayoral Candidate Chris Fletcher today said that she
would be
making verbal submissions on the City's Annual Plan at the Town
Hall on
Thursday.
"The Annual and Long-Term Plan is deeply flawed. It will
mean even greater
ratepayer subsidy, especially by the poorest in the City, who
are perceived
as 'fair game' by this developer-oriented Council," she
said. "It is also a
grossly inaccurate picture of Council expenditure. The Eastern
Motorway, for
example, is barely mentioned in the Plan. Where in the plan
is the budget
for the $4 billion cost, or where John Banks will find the $60
million
needed to buy the property to get it off the ground? To not
reflect this in
the Plan is blatant dishonesty.
"It's only a short while ago that a Regional Land Transport
Study was
agreed, and the Eastern Motorway was not a priority then,"
Chris Fletcher
said. "To proceed with this disastrous road when it's not
a regional
priority is sheer petulance by John Banks - he can't get his
own way so he
does what he wants anyway. This is not the kind of leadership
that Auckland
needs or deserves."
She said that the Council's "zero debt" policy was
totally inconsistent with
its plans for the Motorway. "They can't have it both ways,
so which of these
policies is Banks going to back away from?" she asked.
"I confidently
predict he will introduce a new Uniform Annual General Charge,
probably some
hundreds of dollars a year per household, just to pay for the
motorway."
Chris Fletcher said that it is also dishonest to claim that
rates are being
held at the level of inflation when it was proposed to raise
some of the
standard charges by as much as 17% or 24%. "Let's look
at this in context.
At the same time, Council has decided not to make a transport
development
levy on developers in the Central area, and Ports of Auckland
have been
given an exemption from paying a contribution for open space
and reserves.
This is a clear message that major companies and large developers
are being
subsidised, and an increasing rates burden is to be placed on
elderly people
and those of limited means," she said.
She noted that the pro-developer group was even attempting to
perpetuate its
influence beyond the election by appointing a new CEO within
a couple of
months. "This is blatantly anti-democratic, and is the
last gasp of the
ruling cabal before the public sees through them and turfs them
out of
office," she said. "What company would appoint a new
CEO nearly a year ahead
of taking up the position, and ahead of changes to the 'Board'
in three
months' time? The reason is purely and simply that they are
seeking to
protect their mates' interests.
"The lack of public consultation in the Long-Term Plan
is an insult to
Aucklanders. To give the public only one month to make a submission,
and
then restrict them to only five minutes of speaking time is
a clear
indication that Banks is not interested in what we might wish
to tell him
about the future direction of the City," she said.
For further information, please contact Chris Fletcher on 027-276
0013
Chris Fletcher, Ph: 09-638 6853 Fax: 09-638 7543
admin@chrisfletcher.org.nz PO Box 56-622, Auckland 1030
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