Environmental health fees increase followed extensive consultation

Increases in Auckland City environmental health fees earlier this month followed extensive consultation with affected businesses.

A special consultative process was carried out by Auckland City which involved public notification of the fees increase and individual letters sent to the 4,200 affected businesses inviting submissions on proposed increases.

Only 12 submissions were received on the proposed changes and two submitters attended a public hearing.

Auckland City uses a comprehensive grading system for food premises which ensures a high level of health standard is reached and maintained. This system reflects the extent to which premises meet specified health and safety requirements.

Fees are higher for low grade premises than for high grade premises, and licence holders are able to minimise their fees by attaining an ‘A’ grade.

Auckland City has reviewed its cost structure in terms of operating a more sustainable cost recovery system. The new fee structure includes all costs associated with running the environmental health function and reflects both the associated risk of different business types and premises grading.

Environmental health fees apply to a range of business types including restaurants, hairdressers, camping grounds and amusement galleries.

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>