A Mixed Bag but there was one compelling call

And that is for Auckland Council to investment more in public and active transport modes and less on Governance and Support (I am going to assume that was looking at staffing across the organisation).

Yesterday Auckland Council released the final breakdown from the 2015-2025 Long Term Plan (Master Budget Document) which you can see with the accompanying presser here: 27,000 SUBMISSIONS FOR LONG TERM PLAN (COUNCIL BUDGET). What was interesting was the breakdown into those submissions.

The Long Term Plan Breakdown

The Gender, Ethnicity and Age stats seem okay if you compare them at a national make up level rather than an Auckland make up level (younger and less Europeans).

However, the main two apparent statistics was that people wanted more investment primarily in public and active transport modes but wanted at the same time a lower than 3.5% (5.4% for residential) Rates increase as well (I hope Auckland is not trying to freeload off some transport investment while forgetting that the average rates rise came from property value movements rather than Council loading other things on (which would happen later and be sought through targeted rates) (see: RATES AND YOUR COUNCIL VAULATIONS [UPDATED])).

In any case the disparity between more on Transport but less Rates rises can also be attributed to Council needing to handle its Budget Lines better.

For example we see further in the Long Term Plan breakdown that yes people want more spent on transport. But at the same time people want less money spent on Governance and Support within Auckland Council. That being Governance and Support was used to point out people not being happy with the 7,200 staff at $700 million/year wage bill that both seem to keep on rising.

So a fair point there if that is what the citizens are trying to get across to Auckland Council. Hopefully Council might be somewhat proactive and honour both those wishes so pointed out in the LTP feedback.

Keeping with the transport theme it was asked in the Long Term Plan feedback of which two options you would like (Basic or the Auckland Plan Transport Network) and how would you like it funded (Tolls or extra rates and fuel taxes).

50% wanted the Auckland Plan Transport Network, 29% Basic, and 17% Other which I am taking it will be mostly from Generation Zero’s Essentials Transport Budget which they campaigned on during the feedback period.

Paying for the Auckland Plan Transport Network was something else with 34% wanting Motorway tolls, with no other option getting above that mark. So in short Auckland is not really sure on the alternative funding options and therefore the Council is going to have to try this again. And by again I mean a full discussion with Auckland on all options rather than being pigeon holed into two options by the Mayor. Because as the LTP feedback shows there was no clear majority for either of Len Brown’s two preferred options. Some quick math shows that 34% wanting the tolls and 27% wanting the taxes and rates gives us a combined 62% wanting either of the Mayor’s options. However, 38% which is more than the 34% wanting tolls said something else entirely whether it be a mix of the two options or something else entirely and that 38% should send alarm bells ringing to Council prompting that discussion again.

In the end though three things became clear:

1. More on public and active transport
2. Better job in writing up the Budget Lines (cuts where cuts need to go and money reallocated)
3. 38% want something else rather than tolls (34%) or extra fuel taxes and rates (27%)

But will Council when they deliberate the Long Term Plan next month get the point?

We wait and see!