17 Jul 2020

Auckland rates to rise, spending slashed

From Morning Report, 7:08 am on 17 July 2020

Aucklanders will have to pay more in order to get less as the council tries to fill a $750 million hole in its budget.

Councillors yesterday voted in favour of increasing rates by 3.5 per cent and to "slash" - as Mayor Phil Goff put it - council spending, while also selling off tens of millions of dollars worth of council assets.

It comes as council staff anxiously wait to hear who will be among the 500 to lose their jobs, on top of the 600 temporary and contract workers who've already gone.

Matthew Theunissen reports.