Incoming Auckland Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson says she stands side-by-side with Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown on all his major initiatives, backed by 181,810 Auckland voters.

“Mayor Brown has a clear mandate for his major initiatives, and I sought and accepted his offer to be his deputy to make them happen,” Cr Simpson said.

“In particular, I am looking forward to working with the Mayor and Councillors in opposing Three Waters in its current form; on working with Auckland Transport to take further steps to ensure it is focussed on delivering the services Aucklanders expect and demand; on once-and-for-all establishing an agreed collective programme for the port land to ensure its highest and best use while remaining in public ownership; and delivering a strong Team Auckland approach to decision-making that includes delegation and allocation of budgets and decision-making to both Governing Body committees and Local Boards.

“In doing this, we will also collectively look to assess the Super City legislation, which having been in place now for 12 years is well ready for a review.

“The Mayor has already begun preparations for his proposed 2023/24 Budget. He and I will work together to present an agreed 2023/24 Budget to the Governing Body that will keep rates and other charges as low as possible as Aucklanders face the looming economic storm, while also trimming unnecessary expenditure in what remains of the 2022/23 financial year.”

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