Council votes to close three community facilities in budget cut meeting

Thursday, 15 February 2024

The Wellington City Council has voted to look at congestion charging in Wellington, which could raise income and reduce traffic at rush hour.

But the unpopular cuts previously proposed to reduce libraries and pool hours will no longer go ahead.

Both congestion charging and parking fees would be investigated as a way to raise revenue. To cut costs the council also voted to close three facilities: the 99-year-old Khandallah Pool, the Wadestown Community Centre and the Arapaki Service Centre and Library.

“It’s been a really hefty but healthy effort from all,” said Mayor Tory Whanau, who believed councillors had made “tough decisions”.

Councillor Tony Randle had earlier repeated his claim that the city council was yet to make a tough decision, saying his colleagues were voting to increase revenue through parking and looking into new charges, instead of making spending cuts.

Other cuts the council approved today were to stop monitoring the network of CCTV cameras in the city, which are currently watched by council staff. The graffiti clean-up budget was also slashed, and the annual non-New Year’s Eve fireworks display would no longer go ahead.

As the council looked for possible savings several unpopular ideas were floated like reducing hours for pool and libraries – which the Tawa Swim Club said would mean the end of their operations. After an amendment to the paper by Mayor Tory Whanau, the proposal to reduce hours was dropped.

Ben McNulty questioned why the proposals had been made.

“For people to be worried about their jobs, when the political will to [make the cuts] was never there was a failure of all of us collectively around this table. … I really am disappointed that we put that out there when it really was never ever up for serious consideration.”

As part of its draft budget councillors also voted to look into implementing paid parking in suburban centres across the city, expanded from the previously limited set of centres to encompass most shopping areas.

The suburbs now included are Tawa, Johnsonville, Newlands, Khandallah, Northland, Karori, Aro Valley, Kelburn, Newtown, Berhampore, Island Bay, Kilbirnie, Miramar and Rongotai.

McNulty wanted the suburbs listed so that people would know which town centres would potentially be affected, but ultimately said he didn’t support introducing paid parking in the suburbs. The proposal to introduce charges mainly in the northern suburbs had been “undercooked” and a total surprise, he said.

Whanau’s amendments, which all succeeded, included asking staff to assess feasibility of a congestion charge and lobby the Government to allow congestion charging in Wellington. Congestion charging involves charging people a fee to drive at peak times in busy locations, to reduce traffic – last year Auckland Council voted to introduce a charge.

Chief financial officer Andrea Reeves said congestion charging was relevant to the meeting, as a key component of the council’s financial strategy was to look at new ways of generating revenue.

Whanau was also asking staff to investigate options to set rates for accommodation providers, including AirBnB properties, as another revenue tool.

Her other amendments include stopping the cuts to library and pool hours, keeping New Year’s Eve fireworks and including the $1.5m of funding for visitor attractions requested by Te Papa.

Residents concerned at the cuts to pools and libraries showed up to talk to the council, along with community organisations and representatives from Te Papa.

Khandallah resident Maree Newson was in tears as she spoke about the importance of learning to swim and how she wanted to make sure her children were safe at the beach.

She said there was a disconnect between her experience of going to the Khandallah Pool and the reports the council had produced.

“It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever spent time … The people who would miss out the most are the teenagers who can’t drive to other pools. It’s a facility the community really needs.”

The many proposed cut-backs to the budget were needed to fund a significantly increased $1.7b investment in water infrastructure, including more operating funding to fix leaks.

As part of that planned investment the second half of the Golden Mile pedestrian upgrade for the inner-city could be deferred. The council is looking to begin with Courtenay Place and complete the other streets later.

The other big agenda item which the public will be consulted on is the sale of the council’s 34% shareholding in Wellington Airport, in order to diversify the council finance and establish an investment fund which would serve as insurance in the case of a natural disaster. Councillors and staff are concerned that currently, most of the council’s assets are physically located in Wellington, making the potential financial effects of a big earthquake devastating.

Labour councillor Nureddin Abdurahman was firmly against selling the shares, warning the council there was a “big fight coming” when the plan to sell the shares went out to public consultation.

Iona Pannett said she would listen to the public consultation if there was a huge outcry, but believed there were better ways to invest the council’s money than the airport.

“I really do think it’s a risky investment, we’ve got no power in it and it would be good to change.”

The Long-Term Plan will go out for consultation in April and May, with public hearings ahead of its adoption at the end of June.