Auckland Council has
turned topsy-turvy with its vote to approve a $63 million bailout
for Eden Park, including a $10 million no-strings-attached
grant, says the Auckland Ratepayers’
Alliance.
Ratepayers’ Alliance
spokesperson Jo Holmes says, “Councillors that tend
towards conservative spending, such as Greg Sayers and
Daniel Newman, approved the bailout, leaving lefties like
the Mayor and Cathy to take a rare stand on behalf of
ratepayers. It seems even the fiscal conservatives on the
Council have a weak spot when it comes to rugby, and
ratepayers will now pay for it.”
“Councillors
should have taken a tougher line, demanding that the Trust
either cover costs or sell up. In return, Councillors could
have worked to remove red tape and let Eden Park host more
events.”
“The most outrageous justification for
the grant was that the trust board chair had advised against
the approach of a repayable loan. Of course the board would
argue for free money! And now that they’ve been given it,
they’ll come back to ratepayers begging for more next time
they run into financial
trouble.”
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