Auckland Council upends democracy

Auckland Council has engaged in breathtakingly undemocratic arrogance by foisting zone changes on central Auckland residents a week before Christmas without consultation, says Epsom MP David Seymour.

“In a democracy the elected representatives should be in charge of the officials. In this case the officials swore the councillors to secrecy. It’s extraordinary.

“The councillors who stood by and let this happen have sat on council too long. They should either get back in control of the asylum or offer residents their resignation.

"When similar changes were proposed in 2013 the people pushed back hard. Small wonder the councillors wanted to keep quiet.

“Knowing the council planning department, it’s unlikely that they have considered the impact on central Auckland school zones, which are bursting. This is another reason that residents couldn’t be consulted.

“The Council’s underhanded command and control approach is the root cause of housing unaffordability. They know people don’t want intensification, but they will not let people build at the city fringe either.

“All the while a generation misses out on housing as Auckland Council tries obsessively to force housing where people don’t want it built while banning housing where people do want it built.”

ENDS

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