August 26, 2015
Len Brown has conceded that the Ratepayers’ Alliance characterisation of the 2am ticket blitz in Orakei as “overzealous revenue gathering” was a “fair comment in the sense that it is unusual timing” during an interview with 95bFM this morning.
The 2am ticketing blitz saw residents along Apihai and Tautari streets in Orakei saw 27 residents fined $40 each for parking partly on the footpath.
Both streets are very narrow and residents suggest that parking partly on the footpath is a neighbourhood courtesy to ensure vehicle traffic, including emergency services, can navigate down the streets during the evening.
While the Mayor would not be drawn on whether Auckland Transport officials were wrong to be ticketing residents, he did say “It’s certainly an unusual time for our transport guys to be out and carrying their work in that type of diligent manner”.
Len Brown says he has requested a report of the incident and will look into it further. We’re not holding our breath for any reprieve for these residents, despite the Council itself being caught out a day later committing the exact same infringement on the exact same road.
How’s that for hypocrisy?
You can listen to this portion of Len Brown’s interview with 95bFM below.
August 25, 2015
Early morning ticket blitz
You may have seen the media coverage yesterday about the 27 people who woke up last week to tickets from Auckland Transport for parking on the kerb after a 2am blitz along Apahai and Tautari streets in Orakei.
By coincidence, Carmel, our volunteers coordinator knows the streets well. Her son flats on Tautari Street (he didn’t receive a ticket, though several of his flatmates did). Both streets are very narrow and if residents park on the street, it would be impossible to get any vehicles or emergency services past the parked vehicles. Parking on the curb has happened for years – it’s common sense – not that it matters to the Council.
Auckland Transport has tried to defend its actions. Apparently vehicles obstructing pedestrians using the footpaths are a big problem at 2 in the morning.
Yesterday I joined RadioLIVE’s Ali Mau and Willie Jackson to discuss the Council’s approach (click here for audio on demand).
Do as Council says - not as they do
So it came as no surprise today to learn that even the Council’s employees are parking on the kerb in the same area – only they don’t get a ticket. This afternoon the Herald published a photograph taken by an eagle-eyed resident of one of the Council’s very own cars parked half-on the footpath during the middle day.
This isn’t the first time photographic evidence of hypocrisy has been ignored. Auckland Transport 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.
We’re backing those who got the tickets – and have launched a petition calling on the Council to either abandon it’s hard-nosed approach and cancel the 27 tickets. Please take a moment to sign the petition by clicking here.
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 20, 2015
Today we can reveal that as the Council is hiking parking charges by 40 - 50 per cent from next month, Councillors and senior Council staffers are enjoying free carparks courtesy of ratepayers.
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. Yet documents we have released today show that elected officials and 30 other staff members are entitled to individual car parks worth at least $4,920.
Aucklanders have faced increased rates, the transport levy and now the prospect of a further 50 per cent increase in the cost of parking. When will the Council get off Aucklanders' backs? Even worse - while they are telling everyone else to take the bus or train, Councillors are feathering their own nests with their private parking spaces.
Early-bird parking was abolished last year by Auckland Transport as they claimed it was subsidising commuter traffic into the city centre. Now they have announced that wasn't enough - so want to increase prices by 40 - 50 per cent!
While Aucklanders have to pay top dollar to get parking in Auckland, councillors and thirty council big-wigs have free parking courtesy of ratepayers. This is a clear case of do as I say, not as I do.
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
July 01, 2015
A member has sent this through to highlight what he thinks is the Council spending money unnecessarily.
***
Friends of Fowlds Park are a community of people who oppose Auckland Council’s plans to build a 10,000 square metre artificial pitch in Fowlds Park, Mt Albert, as part of Council's plans to build 37 artificial pitches in public parks across Auckland at a cost of more than $2 million per pitch (a total of $74 million).
The reasons we’re opposing the application are listed on our website. Briefly, if Council chose fibre reinforced grass, as it has chosen for for Nixon Park, Kingsland, instead of an artificial surface, it would deliver as many hours of sport but would have none of the adverse effects on the environment particular to artificial pitches. The fibre reinforced grass option would cost only around one third as much to install, a total of only $24 million for 37 fields, a $50 million saving.
We ask for your support by making a submission to Auckland Council’s application by 13th July (click here for details).
We believe it is important that as many individuals and organisations as possible, wherever they are located, make submissions on this important issue which affects the whole of Auckland and all Aucklanders.
Kind regards
Will McKenzie (on behalf of Friends of Fowlds Park)
[email protected]
