Xmas light junket comes back empty handed

16 September 2015

No bright bulbs returned from China according to this report on the Invercargill City Council staff junket that saw a roading engineer, graphic designer and accountant travel to China to buy Christmas lights, come back empty handed. The trip cost Invercargill ratepayers at least $21,000 and it is unclear whether a second trip will now be required for the Council to procure lights.

Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams says:

“Despite the pleas by Invercargill leaders last week that this was good value for money, it is clear that the junket was instead a sick joke on ratepayers.”

“Any illusion that this trip was anything other than an expensive junket for council staffers has been shattered.”

“This is clear example of Council bureaucrats spending ratepayers’ money and worrying about the details later. There is no reason why the Council could not have purchased these lights online, or at least have done their homework on what was available before sending staff to China at the ratepayers’ expense.”

“On RadioLIVE last week the Council’s CEO, Richard King, told Sean Plunket that the accountant was required to travel as ‘the others have never been to China’. This Council is in a fantasyland. If there was a shred of political leadership this sort of nonsense would not be tolerated."

ENDS

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