Auckland Transport Hike Parking Rates, But Councillors Get It For Free

MEDIA RELEASE

AUCKLAND TRANSPORT HIKE PARKING RATES, BUT COUNCILLORS GET IT FOR FREE

MONDAY 20 JULY 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Auckland Ratepayers Alliance can reveal that Auckland Council has allocated 51private car parks worth more than $250,000 so that Councillors and senior officials can can avoid the Council’s own 40 to 50 per cent hike in parking charges which comes into effect next month.

Documents, available on the Ratepayers’ Alliance website, show that elected officials and 30 other staff members are entitled to a car park which the Council estimates to be worth $4,920 each. From next month it will cost $24 to park all day at the council's three central city buildings at Downtown, the Civic and Victoria Street.

Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesperson, Jo Holmes, says:

“High rates, the new transport levy, and now a 50 per cent increase in the cost of parking – when will the Council get off Aucklanders' backs? Worse, While they tell everyone else to take the bus, Councillors feather their own nests by buying private parking spaces."

“In October last year, Auckland Transport abolished early-bird off-street car parking as they claimed it was subsiding commuter car travel into the city centre. In addition, the Council has now decided to hike parking charged by between 40 and 50 per cent in the Council-own car parks."

“While Aucklanders have to pay top dollar to get parking in Auckland, Councillors and thirty Council bigwigs have free parking on the ratepayer. This is a clear case of do as I say, not as I do."

ENDS