Tag: Censure

Long Day in Town Hall

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Looking Forward to Sleep in Tomorrow

 

Today the last part of this particular chapter of the Len Brown Saga was played out with a Censure motion being moved unanimously. Although Part F of the Censure resolutions suite was voted on 15-5 with Councillors: Brewer, Krum, Cooper, Stewart and Quax voting against Resolution F (I will have the resolutions up as soon as the Minutes are published).

The No Confidence Motion was effectively killed off after advice from the Democracy Advisers stated that the motion was in breach of Standing Orders owing to a “double-negative” what ever that was.

 

From 10am until just after 1pm the Governing Body ground through in dealing with the saga before finally coming to the vote. More of this saga is still to be played out but for now the “official” action has been done at Governing Body level.

I will run full commentary on the proceedings at the Governing Body today including:

  • Skypath proceeds to next stage meaning the path could be operating by end of 2016
  • Living Wage got knocked back on an 11/10 vote
  • Draft Annual Plan to proceed to submission phase early next year

 

Otherwise that is it from me folks

Praise and Respect to our Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse who chaired the Governing Body as the Censure Motion went through the motions. Despite what some fringe nutters in a particular few areas on Social Media might or would like to think, it would have been unwise for the Deputy Mayor as Chair to take a stance outside of neutral. It would have been like a Judge taking a side in a Court Case thus compromising proceedings.

Also respect to Chris Fletcher for holding a level and mature head through the debate. Oh and telling Councillor Brewer to get a pink tutu and some ballerina slippers today made everyone choke on their drinks in surprise.

More on that and the rest tomorrow as for now I am going to get some sleep

 

Reaction to the EY Report

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Government needs to tighten up the “rules”

 

This is a rare piece of commentary from me personally into the entire “Len Brown affair.” Since the story broke I have been more or less silent on the “affair” aspect while constantly keeping an eye on the “conduct” side of the matter. From Day One when the story broke (while returning from a Council briefing on I believe it was on the Unitary Plan heading for notification) I have always said for me to no longer give “support” to the Mayor, he would have to conduct a criminal act (and be convicted) or conduct serious misconduct (an affair is not misconduct) through misuse of resources or power, and/or other serious nature.

I have the EY report that was commissioned by Council CEO Doug McKay after it landed (with an accompanying release) in my email box this afternoon. You can read the report over at this post here: The EY Report Commissioned by Auckland Council CEO. That said I was NOT at the Press Conference in Town Hall this afternoon over the release of the report.

 

After receiving and reading the report I have come to three conclusions:

  1. The “rules” set by the Council Code of Conduct,  that by the Remuneration Authority, and the Local Government (Auckland Amendment) Act 2009 are too loose with little measures provided if something does go wrong/breached
  2. Government must tighten up the regulations set about by the Remuneration Authority for issuing rules around use of ratepayers resources – e.g the mayoral car and when it can be used or not. In the same regard the Local Government Act needs tightening up so the Governing Body have available a wide range of measures to deal with errant elected members. This can range from a Censure motion to something more punitive (whatever one decides that might be short of sacking a mayor)
  3. Owing to this error in regards to several matters pointed out in the EY report (cell phone, mayoral car, and not declaring the hotels on the register)(and rather than the actual affair) my confidence in the mayor is shaken with support moving from positive to negative. That said I still have confidence and positive support in the wider main Council (although a particular CCO is an exception at the moment) and the rest of the elected members (regardless of whether I agree with them or not (Dick Quax and Cameron Brewer)). In being honest it has weighed on my mind on what else has the mayor not declared outside of the “affair” and could have this affected any other mayoral decision-making

 

I stress again to make it crystal clear that yes confidence in the mayor is shaken with support switching from positive to negative. HOWEVER, confidence and support remains with the Deputy Mayor and the rest of the Councillors despite disagreements from time to time. 

 

One thing I do ask of the Governing Body after the elected members have had time to review the EY report is that an extraordinary meeting be called of the GB ASAP! In that extraordinary meeting a motion of censure is called and voted for against the mayor immediately. Whether the vote passes or fails is beside the point in my opinion. The point being is that the Governing Body has now been damaged and in the eyes of the City the censure motion needs to occur to help restore confidence towards the Council. Failure to move the censure motion quickly could paralyse worthwhile projects before the Council – and that would be a true detriment to Auckland. It is risky

 

For the rest of it Parliament is going to need to haul backside and tighten up rules around Local Government to prevent this kind of mess from happening again. And to me that is going to be the main point coming out of this entire mess! 

 

The EY report