The New Zealand Taxpayers' Union can reveal through the Local Government Official Information and Meeting Act that Gisborne District Council has allocated $7,210,000 to seven projects from the previous government’s three waters reform – better off package.

Although Gisborne District Council remains one of the few councils to keep rates increases below 10% – at 6.5%, the storm-battered region could have better allocated this funding to prevent these rises.

Local Government spokesman for the Taxpayers’ Union, Sam Warren, said:

“Reviewing these seven projects shows where the fault lies on council books. With $200k unused for management costs alone, or $400k to clean up an area for an art sculpture.

“The biggest project of $3 million to get less waste into landfill highlights the poor prioritisation of the nice-to-haves over need-to-haves strategy.

“As New Zealand’s Debt Clock ticks closer to $180 billion, councils up and down the country need to better prioritise what’s most important as the money tap for much of local government is turned off.”

NOTES:

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is an independent and membership-driven activist group, dedicated to being the voice for Kiwi taxpayers in the corridors of power. Its mission, lower taxes, less waste, more accountability, is supported by 200,000 subscribed members and supporters.

© Scoop Media