Press Release
ISSUED BY AFFORDABLE AUCKLAND

Scrap Auckland’s Ambassador to London

“Len Brown’s feet are getting too big for his boots if he is supportive of paying for a $220,000 Auckland Ambassador to London,” says Affordable Auckland Leader Stephen Berry. “It’s time he pulls his head in and accepts what the genuine role of local councils actually is.”

“The role of Council is simply to administer the naturally monopolistic functions that are essential to the operation of the city. These are collecting sewerage and storm water, collecting rubbish, maintaining parks and libraries. If this isn’t glamorous enough for Len Brown, perhaps he should be looking for a new job sooner than 2016.”

In defence of the pilot project Mayor Brown says, “We need to work beyond our sister cities into major financial and economic hubs, sometimes with visits and delegations, and on occasions with project placements in market. Our goal is to aggressively grow international investment and revenues into Auckland which is completely consistent with our Auckland Plan, our Economic Development Strategy and central government's Business Growth Agenda."

Stephen Berry disagrees completely saying, “We already have entire central Government Ministries of Economic Government and Tourism doing this job and they are adequately funded to do so. Duplication of central government activities is one of the major contributing factors to out of control spending on Auckland Council.”

“Auckland Council is over-taxing, over-spending and over-borrowing. It needs to stick to its knitting and get its finances under control.”

Ends

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