Mayor Brown’s Value-for-Money Committee Needs Teeth to Rein in Overspending

Commenting on Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown’s announcement of a new Revenue Expenditure and Value Committee to tackle wasteful spending, Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesman, Jordan Williams, said:

“In an ideal world, wasteful spending should be properly scrutinised by the Audit and Risk Committee. However, this isn’t an ideal world and that clearly has not been happening.

“If this is what it takes to put an end to reckless overspending on vanity projects and consultancy fees then so be it. Wayne Brown should be commended for fighting to keep ratepayers’ interests at the top of the agenda.

“However, to avoid this new committee becoming yet another toothless council talking shop, it cannot just be made up of the same councillors who have so far failed to control the council’s dangerous levels of overspending. The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance is calling on Mayor Brown to make sure that the Revenue Expenditure and Value Committee includes independent auditors.”