Milne vows to protect family silver, challenges other candidates to sign the pledge

03 August 2007

Riccarton-Wigram City Council candidate, Tony Milne, today made a public commitment to the people of the Riccarton-Wigram ward that he will protect our city’s family silver if elected to City Council.

“I have pledged that if elected I will ‘support keeping all significant public assets and services of the citizens of Christchurch in public ownership and control, accessible to public scrutiny, and having a primary purpose of serving the needs of our community, and our economic, social and natural environment’”, Tony Milne said.

“The income stream from publicly owned companies contributes over $30 million a year to the Council’s coffers helping keep rates down by 15% plus each year”, Tony Milne said.

2021 Mayoral Candidate, Megan Woods, supported by several 2021 candidates launched this policy on board the “tug Lyttelton” in Lyttelton Harbour on Tuesday to symbolise the threat to strategic assets over the last term of Council.

Over the last term, the present council, dominated by Independent councillors, attempted to sell the operational arm of the Lyttelton Port Company to off-shore interests and to remove the Red Bus Company and City Care from the list of protected assets. The record of the councillors seeking re-election in the Riccarton-Wigram ward is mixed with Bob Shearing voting for the Lyttelton Port Share deal and to remove the Red Bus Company and City Care from the list of protected assets, and Helen Broughton abstaining and voting against.

“The attempts to sell assets in the last term were without a mandate – not one of the councillors who sought to sell assets told voters this prior to being elected”, Tony Milne said.

“The real owners of these assets, the people of Christchurch, were shut out of the decision making process. In this year’s election, voters have a right to know what candidates plan to do with the City's family silver”, Tony Milne said.

“I challenge others seeking election in the Riccarton-Wigram ward to publicly state their policy on this issue. Their words should be consistent with their voting record”, Tony Milne said.

ENDS

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