Taxpayers' Union welcomes Wellington three-year plan, but says more savings needed

The New Zealand Taxpayers' Union is welcoming Wellington City Council agreeing to its new three-year plan, saying the process shows that when councillors make the effort to find savings they can be found, but warning that ratepayers are still facing steep increases.

Taxpayers' Union Local Government Campaigns Manager Josh Van Veen said:

"Getting the three-year plan over the line is a positive step and demonstrates that when councils actually go looking for savings, savings are there to be found."

"But Wellington households will still be staring down a 7.4 percent rates increase, which is far from affordable after years of steep hikes and is still almost 2.5 times the rate of inflation."

"The work cannot stop here. This process shows that savings exist within council budgets. Now the challenge is to keep going and make sure Wellington ratepayers finally start seeing some real relief."

"As Deloitte's Future Fit Pōneke report found, Wellington City Council could find up to $37 million in savings by reducing the number of managers, removing duplication, and lowering administrative overheads through automation."

"If councils are looking for other places to start, our latest report 103 Ways to Save Money in Local Government lists examples of savings across all functions of councils and is on its way to councillors across the country."

The report 103 Ways to Save Money in Local Government is available here.