Auckland Council on road to dysfunction under Brown

The Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance is responding to reports of a "toxic" culture at Auckland Council, with some councillors alleging they were bullied and intimidated for opposing Wayne Brown's record-high rates increase.

Ratepayers' Alliance spokesman Josh Van Veen said:

"Auckland Council is going the way of Wellington under Tory Whanau and Tauranga under Tenby Powell."

"This is a mayor who threatened to 're-arrange' the face of a ratepayer advocate, regularly insults and belittles his council colleagues in public, and uses his social media platform to disparage government ministers."

"It's unsurprising that he has fostered an atmosphere of fear and loathing in the council chamber."

"We understand that Brown now plans to use an upcoming committee reshuffle to punish those councillors who dared to vote against his record-high rates increase."

"Brown's Trumpian behaviour is leading Auckland Council down a path of dysfunction that will inevitably result in government intervention unless the Mayor pulls his head in and respects the right of councillors to vote against him. After all, this is a democracy, not a dictatorship."