Hutt City Council's financial performance is unsustainable. It is setting us on a path guaranteed to make rates unaffordable for many. I've produced a financial plan to set Council on a path to recovery.
This drew a reaction from Council HQ, via the mayor's ratepayer sponsored Facebook page. They issued a line-by-line critique, that demonstrated they took no accountability for serious issues such as these:
- $100m extra added to overheads without a business case or reporting to elected members and the public.
- Budgeting for 100 extra staff to be added to the payroll during 2025 when we have a rates affordability crisis.
- Not noticing we were paying 170% extra for standard infrastructure works when sector inflation was only 30%.
- An infrastructure backlog that is growing faster than ever despite the huge spending increase.
It's time to admit the current financial plan has failed, commit to getting spending under control and ensure we deliver good value to our residents and businesses.
