September 14, 2015
MEDIA RELEASE
COUNCIL CLAIMS OF LOWER STAFF NUMBERS SMOKE AND MIRRORS
MONDAY 14 SEPTEMBER 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance has released an Auckland Council document which appears to contradict recent public statements by Council officials relating to the number of FTE staff at Auckland Council.
On Thursday, Kevin Ramsay, the Council’s General Manager Finance announced that despite the Council having hired 208 more full-time equivalent staff last year, total staff numbers were still around 230 fewer than the sum of the legacy councils, which were amalgamated five years ago.
The Council document released by the Ratepayers' Alliance dated 27 August 2015 shows that the total number of FTEs of the legacy councils was 9,430. As at 30 June 2014 (the balance date of Auckland Council's last Annual Report), the Council stated that FTE staff numbers were 9,394. The Council's acknowledgement that FTE numbers have increased by 208 in the last 12 months appears to contradict Mr Ramsay's claim that Council staff numbers are lower now than they were prior to amalgamation.
Jo Holmes, Auckland Ratepayers Alliance spokesperson, says:
“Auckland Council appears to have been caught out spinning its own staff numbers. It tells one thing to ratepayers, while these official documents say quite another."
"Data obtained by the Ratepayers’ Alliance shows that a year ago the Council had only 36 fewer staff than the legacy councils. Now staff numbers have gone up by 208 but the Council would have you believe that it still has fewer staff than in 2010. If you believe that then I’ve got a bridge to sell you.”
“No matter how much Len Brown’s staff spin it, we have clearly reached the point where the Auckland's Super City is larger than the sum of its parts.”
The Council's August document is available on the Ratepayers' Alliance website.
September 01, 2015
MEDIA RELEASE
RATEPAYERS’ ALLIANCE WELCOME AUCKLAND TRANSPORT U-TURN
TUESDAY 1 SEPTEMBER 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jo Holmes, Spokesperson for the Ratepayers’ Alliance, says, “Auckland Transport is finally applying some common sense and we welcome the decision."
“Our members were particularly disturbed by the Council’s apparent duplicity in refusing to ticket Council employees for breaking the same rules. Though it’s a small victory, it’s good to see people power can force Auckland Transport’s hand."
September 01, 2015
MEDIA RELEASE
AUCKLAND COUNCIL'S TRANSPORT LEVY PORKY REVEALED
TUESDAY 1 SEPTEMBER 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The revelation that Auckland Transport has less money for capital works this year, as admitted by its Chief Executive David Warburton today, shows that too much ratepayer money is being wasted by an inefficient Council operation. Jo Holmes, spokesperson for the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance says:
“On the same day tens of thousands of commuters are in gridlock thanks to Auckland Transport’s failure to protect Tamaki Drive from seasonal flooding, we learn that the transport levy is a fraud. Len Brown said the transport levy was a necessary pain to get Auckland moving. In reality the skyrocketing rates are being soaked up by a bloated Council with high operating and staffing costs."
"It is simply shameful that transport capital expenditure has actually reduced. It’s time the Council got back to basics, slashed its bloated op-ex budgets and spent our money on capital projects which get Auckland moving."
August 25, 2015
MEDIA RELEASE
SURPRISE SURPRISE: AUCKLAND COUNCIL BREAK OWN RULES (AGAIN)
TUESDAY 25 AUGUST 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance is repeating calls to let-off the 27 residents of Orakei's Apihai and Tautari streets which were ticketed in a 2am blitz last week for parking on footpaths. The renewed call comes after today’s release of a photoshowing an Auckland Council vehicle breaching the same rule in the one of the same streets. Carmel Claridge, a spokesperson for the Ratepayers’ Alliance, says:
“This is a case of the Council’s 'do as I say, not as I do' attitude. Despite the Council's own staff demonstrating that parking on the kerb in these very narrow streets is common sense, the Council still won’t budge and let-off the people it ticketed. It is arrogant in the extreme.”
“We’ve spoken to one of Auckland Transport’s spin doctors and asked whether the Council employee will also be ticketed. The answer is no. Incredibly we were told that one of the reasons is that photos are able to be doctored but even if the employee admits to the offence, Auckland Transport still won’t ticket the Council employee.”
“This isn’t the first time photographic evidence of hypocrisy has been ignored. The Council refused to ticket Len Brown when he was snapped parking over a cycle lane last month. It’s time we had a Council culture that served ratepayers, not lorded over them with this sort of arrogance."
ENDS
August 02, 2015
MEDIA RELEASE
2AM TICKET BLITZ SHOWS LACK OF COMMON SENSE AND BLATANT REVENUE GATHERING
SATURDAY 2 AUGUST 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"My son is one of the affected residents on Tautari Street. If residents followed Auckland Transport’s rules, the road would be impossible to pass. Ticketing 27 cars at 2am on a quiet residential street isn’t about public order, it’s Auckland Transport being over zealous and revenue gathering."
“The trouble with Auckland Council is its choice to apply blanket rules rather than common sense. Here a community have done the right thing by parking on the curb to allow unimpeded access and reduce the hazard. Rather than let them be, the Council swans in with its ‘we know best’ attitude."
ENDS
July 31, 2015
MEDIA RELEASE
JOB WELL DONE? COUNCILLORS SET TO POCKET PAY RISE
FRIDAY 31 JULY 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Responding to the report that Auckland’s Councillors and Mayor Len Brown look set for a 2.3 per cent pay increase, just days after voting to increase the average rates burden by 9.9 per cent, Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesperson, Carmel Claridge, says:
“This is an insult to Aucklanders who are suffering under a completely unjustifiable rates burden. At a time when Aucklanders are having to go without in order to meet this increase, the Remuneration Authority seem to want to congratulate councillors on a job well done.”
“In what other organisation would you give a pay rise to bosses who have blown out the budget and left the public picking up the pieces?”
"With his shattered promise to keep rates rises to 2.5%, Len Brown should turn down this pay rise."
ENDS
July 20, 2015
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
July 14, 2015
MEDIA RELEASE
RATEPAYERS DEALT THE DAMAGE TOMORROW
TUESDAY 14 JULY 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tomorrow ratepayers will learn how Auckland Council’s rates hikes will impact them, with the Council launching its online rating database at midnight tonight.
Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesperson, Jo Holmes, says “Ratepayers will be going online to discover the financial damage the Len Brown’s budget has brought upon their household.”
“Our experts estimate that between 9,000 and 10,000 households will be facing rates increases of more than $1,000. At a time when inflation is close to zero, rates increases of this magnitude are completely unjustified.”
The Council is spending up to $90,000 on a telemarketing company and mailout to warn people of the rates hike.
"This adds insult to injury," says Ms Holmes. "Instead of calling people to spin the bad news, ratepayers would rather the Council focus at delivering value for money.”
“The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance is determined to hold those Councillors who are responsible for these rates hikes accountable."
Since April, more than 11,000 people have joined as supporters of the Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance at www.ratepayers.nz.
ENDS
July 09, 2015
MEDIA RELEASE
LEN BROWN WILL BE LICKING LIPS RE PROPOSED TREASURY LEVY
THURSDAY 9 JULY 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
A proposed Treasury levy requiring Auckland property investors to pay 1 per cent of the capital value of their rental properties to Auckland Council would have the effect of reducing the incentive for infill housing and would likely push up the cost of living for the poorest Aucklanders. Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesperson, Jo Holmes, says:
“Len Brown will be delighted to learn that Wellington bureaucrats are working on ways he can tax Aucklanders more. Meanwhile, our economic experts tell us that this proposed capital charge would likely discourage the very infill housing and development which Auckland Council is encouraging to solve the housing crisis."
“Any new taxes on landlords are likely to simply be passed onto tenants. If high taxes were the solution to Auckland’s housing problems, surely the Council’s 9.9 per cent whack would have solved it.”
“Generally when you tax something you get less of it. Wellington’s thinking that a new housing tax is going to result in more houses is bizarre."
“Among our members are tenants facing rent increases as landlords reluctantly adjust rent in order to pay an increased rates burden. The last thing Aucklanders need is for the cost of living to go up even more.”
ENDS
June 01, 2015
MEDIA RELEASE
GREEN MAN CAMPAIGN CREEPY, PATRONISING AND EXPENSIVE
WEDNESDAY 1 JULY 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance is backing the comments of Auckland Transport Blog editor, Matt Lowrie, that Auckland Transport’s “Green Man” campaign is both stupid and creepy, Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesperson, Jo Holmes, says:
“If Auckland Transport want to do good, they should focus on providing better quality, safer roads rather than gimmicky campaigns paying people to dress up in a morph suit and hold peoples hand as they cross the road.”
“Auckland Transport says the social cost of motor vehicle injury justifies this campaign. They seem to have forgotten that they are an agency tasked with overseeing Auckland’s transport infrastructure, not social issues.”
“This is nothing short of a gimmick campaign doing a poor job of trying to replicate the work of central government agencies.”
ENDS
