The REGIONAL RATEPAYERS REBELLION

The campaign fighting the Auckland Regional Council rates increase and rating policies

Contact, campaign spokesman, DAVID THORNTON [Chairman of the Glenfield Ratepayers] david@Kandu.co.nz

MEDIA RELEASE

Statement from David Thornton on ministerial refusal to review ARC.

Biased process denial of natural justice.

The Ministers decision not to review the ARC is not a surprise - but I challenge the biased process from which it emerged.

We gave the Minister a list of 12 questions with supporting information, none of which have been answered.

All our submissions were given by the Minister's officials to the ARC for their comments.

In response the ARC gave the ministry officials a whole range of documents which were not passed back to us for our comments.

Natural justice would require that we should have been given an opportunity to respond to the ARC information - especially given our experience of obstruction by the ARC to several requests we made to it for information.

The Minister has now agreed to let us see all the information he has received - after which we shall consider the possibility of asking for a re-assessment of our request by the Minister.

The Minister's initial refusal will be a huge disappointment to the 40,000 plus signatories to our petition and the 85,000 ratepayers who are withholding all or part of their rates demands.

Our message to them is simple - the fight goes on.

ENDS

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