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Resolution
number WH/2023/1
MOVED by Chairperson K Thomas, seconded by
Deputy Chairperson F Amosa:
That the Whau Local Board:
a)
note its concern
that the leading nature of the wording in the consultation documents tacitly
implies that the adoption of the budget is a foregone conclusion which could
lead the public to question whether consultation is genuine
b)
note its concern that the proposed wording in
each of the consultation documents in reference to the reductions to local
board operational funding and the dollar amount specific to each local board
is very unclear to the general public and does not adequately reflect the
significant local impact that the proposed reductions will have on the
community
c)
request that the local consultation document
content (Attachment A) be amended to replace the Introduction section (page
1) and the “Responding to our budget challenge” section (page 2)
with the following wording:
“This
year, the council’s proposed response to mitigate the budget pressures
for 2023/2024 includes a proposed reduction of $16 million to local board
operational funding, which is made up of our Locally Driven Initiatives
budget and Asset Based Services budgets. As only a small portion of
Asset Based Services budget is available to be considered for savings due to existing
contractual commitments and the inability to realise savings for FY24, this
means that the proposed reduction will likely represent a cut of up to 46 per
cent to Whau Local Board’s discretionary budgets. This will
result in a significant reduction in spending on local services such as arts
and culture, environment and climate response, library services and opening
hours, community programmes, events and youth. The Whau Local Board would
need to reduce its planned operation spend by $669,000.”
d)
request that the local supporting information
content (Attachment B) be amended to replace the Introduction section (page
1) with the following wording:
“This
year, the council’s proposed response to mitigate the budget pressures
for 2023/2024 includes a proposed reduction of $16 million to local board
operational funding, which is made up of our Locally Driven Initiatives
budget and Asset Based Services budgets. As only a small portion of
Asset Based Services budget is available to be considered for savings due to
existing contractual commitments and the inability to realise savings for
FY24, this means that the proposed reduction will likely represent a cut of
up to 46% to the Whau Local Board’s discretionary budgets. This
will result in a significant reduction in spending on local services such as
arts and culture, environment and climate response, library services and
opening hours, community programmes, events and youth. The Whau Local Board
would need to reduce its planned operation spend by $669,000”
e)
note that in light of the recent
flooding emergency Council should be prioritising funding for resilient
infrastructure and climate action
f)
note the essential role in the
response played by community organisations and question who will fulfil that
role in future emergencies if funding is cut
g)
note that community support, the
arts, library services and environmental projects will bear the brunt of the
proposed cuts and are not desirable
h)
note that cutting funding for
community events will impact on the Whau’s placemaking and economic
activity, which will have a compounding effect following from the impact of
Covid on local businesses
i)
note that proposed cuts will
disproportionately impact those areas that are taking on the majority of
intensification at precisely the time they need investment for the benefit
and future economic and cultural growth of the entire Auckland region
j)
note that the
Governing Body has proposed an additional $7 million reduction in open space
and stormwater maintenance across the 21 local board areas which will have
implications for our local board area
k)
note Resolution number WH2022/124
passed at the 7 December 2023 Business Meeting, particularly a) to d) as
follows:
i)
note that
the Whau Local Board’s primary concern and commitment is to the
community, further noting that parts of the Whau Local Board area are
deprived and have less ability to access services currently provided by
Auckland Council privately
ii)
note its
concern that the Mayor’s statement about minimising financial impacts
on households primarily through service cuts fails to take into account that
the proposed mechanisms for cost savings will likely have a disproportionate
impact on the ability of our most deprived residents to access key services
iii)
note the
proposed 5 per cent reduction to local board budgets but also note that this
will almost certainly equate to a very significant cut to discretionary
Locally Driven Initiatives (LDI) budgets as the complexity of cutting
operational Asset Based Services (ABS) budgets related to facilities is
unlikely to be feasible for the 2023/2024 financial year
iv)
note its
concern that such a significant reduction in local board funding could
undermine Auckland Council’s shared decision-making model as
established under the Local Government Auckland Council Act 2009 and could
disempower local communities
l)
reiterate its
concern around losing valuable staff that support and deliver for the Whau
Local Board as a result of the budget reductions
m)
approve local consultation document content (Attachment A) and
local supporting information content (Attachment B) for inclusion in the
Annual Budget 2023/2024 consultation material with the amendments noted in
resolutions c) and d)
n)
delegate authority to the local board Chair to approve any
changes required to finalise the local consultation document and supporting
information content for the Whau Local Board for the Annual Budget 2023/2024
o)
approve the following Have Your Say event in the local board
area during the Annual Budget 2023/2024 consultation period:
i)
Have Your Say community hui 4:30-6:00pm, Wednesday, 15 March
2023, New Lynn Community Centre, 45 Totara Ave, New Lynn
ii)
Have Your Say drop-in 9.30-11:30am, Wednesday, 22 March 2023, New
Lynn Memorial Library, 3 Memorial Drive, New Lynn
p)
delegate authority to the local board Chair to approve any
changes required to the Have Your Say event
q)
delegate to the following elected members and staff the power
and responsibility to receive feedback and hear from the public through
“spoken (or New Zealand sign language) interaction” at the
council’s public engagement events during the consultation period for
the Annual Budget 2023/2024:
i)
All local board members and Chair
ii)
General Manager Local Board Services, Local Area Manager, Local
Board Senior Advisor, Local Board Advisor, Local Board Engagement Advisor
iii)
any additional staff approved by the General Manager Local Board
Services or the Group Chief Financial Officer.
CARRIED
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