Oh this is glorious…
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown clashes with Government over rates cap and impact on City Rail Link
Aucklandโs $5.5 billion City Rail Link and North Shore ferries are being cited as the type of services that could fall victim to a Government-imposed rates cap.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Local Government Minister Simon Watts implored councils to โstop doing dumb stuffโ when announcing annual rates increases would be capped at between 2% and 4%.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has reacted angrily to the proposed rates cap, arguing it wonโt work, will kneecap major projects like the City Rail Link (CRL) that the city needs, and prevent the council from servicing infrastructure in greenfield areas.
On the same day, Brown proposed a 7.9% rate increase next year, primarily to fund the $235 million cost of running the CRL when it opens to passengers.
How else does the Government think the council would pay for projects like the CRL, the mayor asked, saying the countryโs largest public transport project was the result of decisions made by a previous National Government and council.
…The Rates Cap is a right wing fever dream and is designed to force local councils to privatise assets.
Watching the Boomer King squirm as his mates in National destroy lock council is delicious, they are YOUR mates Wayne, so knees up Mother Brown, go ‘Fix’ it Mr Fix It.
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Best Mayor Auckland has had in a long,
long time.
Agreed, its nice not to have party brown nosers like Len Brown and Phil Goff in charge that towed the the line at the expensive of whats best for Auckland.
While fister and the cricket play party bull shit rant games the government is getting ready for the biggest sell off of NZ EVER .
The rail network will be gone water will be gone the ferries will never arrive schools and health will be gone .
All councils will have left will be the broken sewers that no one else will want to own .