Council Makes Important Step To Improve Transparency

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New LGOIMA Portal to keep tabs on numbers and contracts

From Auckland Council

Council moves to improve transparency

Auckland Council has launched a section on its website providing information on a variety of council activities as part of a commitment to more openness and transparency.

The proactive publication of information on the More about the council webpage, which can be found via the Auckland Council Media centre helps to provide Aucklanders with better, timelier and more accurate information about how council works. 

The first release of information includes Auckland Council Group staff numbers, information about annual average rates increases, debt, efficiency savings and progress updates on the NewCore project.

It also includes contracts awarded by the council with a value of $100,000 and greater from 1 July 2014 to 31 March 2015 and spends with suppliers with a value of $100,000 and more from 1 October 2014 to 31 March 2015.

All of the information in the section will be updated regularly to ensure it remains relevant and current.

Auckland Council CEO Stephen Town says the proactive publication of information aims to strengthen Aucklanders’ trust in the council.

“Central government and other local authorities already have similar initiatives, meaning Auckland Council will now be aligned with best practice across the public sector in New Zealand in making information more accessible to the public,” he says.

“In the future we will also be providing more details about how we work and what we do, including information about employee costs, travel expenses, key statistics about council activities and other useful information as and when it becomes available.”

In addition to the proactive publication of information, the council also today began publishing on its website Local Government Official Information and Meeting Act (LGOIMA) responses where the council deems the information to be in the interests of the wider public.

More about the council and LGOIMA responses are available to view now.

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One to bookmark if you like to keep an eye on the inner mechanics from time to time.

Rainbow Panel Adopted

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Governing Body adopts to form The Rainbow Panel

From Auckland Council:

Council approves new Rainbow Community Advisory Panel

Auckland Council’s Governing Body, chaired by Mayor Len Brown, today formally approved the creation of a new Rainbow Community Advisory Panel.

The panel will be established over the coming months and will provide a local government platform from which to effectively address issues of significance to Auckland’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex (GLBTI) community.

A report presented at today’s Governing Body meeting highlighted that GLBTI people continue to experience discrimination on an institutional and individual level as well as high levels of addictions, mental health issues and suicide. It also explained that people of diverse gender identity still face legal and social obstacles that impede their ability to lead their lives fully, safely and openly.

Public input was received by Lexie Matheson who spoke in support of the establishment of a Rainbow Advisory Panel. Lexie voiced her concern that transgender people are not represented or covered by current New Zealand Human Rights legislation. She said the new panel will allow her and other transgender people to finally have a voice.

Mayor Len Brown, who previously endorsed the creation of a Rainbow Panel at the 2014 Big Gay Out and again at this year’s event, was wholly supportive of a panel at today’s meeting.

Councillor Cathy Casey, Chair of the Community Development and Safety Committee says today’s decision has been a long time coming.

“For many years over successive councils the rainbow community in Auckland has been asking for formal representation in the same way other communities are represented. So I’m absolutely thrilled that today the council has truly acknowledged Auckland’s incredible diversity and finally given a formal voice to GLBTI Aucklanders. This is a historic day for our rainbow communities.”

She says the panel is a logical and necessary evolution of the Rainbow Door Reference Group established in 2010.

“The Rainbow Door Group has provided an invaluable service by offering an informal forum for both rainbow and mainstream service providers to meet with the council to discuss concerns, issues and opportunities. Today’s decision to establish a formal advisory panel takes this to the next level.”

The purpose of an advisory panel is to provide strategic advice to council on issues of importance to the community it supports, and to advise council on how to engage effectively with that community and its stakeholders.

Four demographic advisory panels were established in the first term of Auckland Council to represent disability, Pacific, ethnic and youth concerns – two by legislation and two on the initiative of the Mayor. A Seniors Advisory Panel has also recently been created to represent the interests of older Aucklanders.

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Mayor Handing Down Long Term Plan Proposal

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And we have

Mayor backs major new investment in transport

Mayor Len Brown has today presented a proposal to begin immediate work to address Auckland’s transport challenges.

The Mayor’s report on the 2015-25 Long-term Plan proposes that council seek government support for a motorway user charge to fund the additional $12 billion needed to deliver the full transport network Aucklanders have asked for.

Given that a user charge would require legislation and take a number of years to put in place, the Mayor is proposing to fund immediate new investments of $500 million over the next three years through an interim fixed levy on ratepayers.

An interim levy was first signalled in the draft LTP published in December 2014. It is intended to meet urgent needs for investment in public transport, including new rail, bus and cycleways. In order to make a difference the levy has been calculated at an average of $99 a year for non-business ratepayers and $159 for business ratepayers.

“Today we are responding to a clear message from Aucklanders – start fixing our transport problems now,” Len Brown said.

“Auckland is New Zealand’s fastest growing region. We will have one million more Aucklanders sharing our roads over the next thirty years. Just to keep this city moving in the future we need to invest in an enhanced, fully integrated transport network.

“Aucklanders, in record numbers during the consultation, and in an independent survey, have been clear that they are prepared to pay their share to get the transport network we need.  This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for action. Aucklanders have spoken, and we now have a responsibility to listen and act upon it.”

The key recommendations in the Mayor’s Report include:

  1. Supporting the Auckland Plan Transport Network and motorway tolling as the mechanism to pay for it
  2. An interim transport levy over three years equating to less than $2 per week for non-business ratepayers and $3 per week for business ratepayers
  3. The Mayor and Chief Executive to engage with the government to enable the implementation of a motorway tolling system by 2018/19
  4. Keeping average rates rises to 2.5% for year one.
  5. Keeping the UAGC at $385 and slowing down the business differential to limit the impact on ratepayers to 0.5% per annum

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More as it happens, live Tweets under away