Upper Hutt council boss apologises over draft plan mistakes
Friday, 3 May 2024
Upper Hutt City Council is extending consultation on its draft long term plan, after the discovery of financial mistakes in the documentation.
Council chief executive Geoff Swainson has apologised for errors in the plan, and said the consultation period would be extended to give residents an opportunity to understand the implications of the errors.
On Friday, the council issued a statement acknowledging there were mistakes. The consultation period will now stay open until May 12, instead of May 2.
Swainson said staff were “devastated” by the errors and he accepted it had negatively affected the credibility of the council. He said he accepted responsibility.
He was confident there were no other errors, and the proposed rate increase for 2024/25 remained at 19.93%.
The first error related to the estimated savings on proposed service reductions. The consultation document showed estimated savings of $33.9 million over 10 years. The correct amount was $25.1m.
The second error related to a GST miscalculation on the first year’s rate increase.
“I would like to apologise for these errors,” Swainson said in a statement posted on the council’s home page.
Anyone who had already put in a submission was welcome to put in a new one, he said
“I would like to encourage our community to make a submission and have their say on these decisions that will help shape the future of our city.”
Mayor Wayne Guppy said it was “disappointing” but both errors were minor and everything else in the document was correct.
The proposed 19.93% rate increase each year for three years has not gone down well in Upper Hutt, with many ratepayers expressing concern that the increase was unaffordable.
A petition backed by local resident Paul Fabian has more than 1700 signatures calling on the council to abandon the “massive” increase.
“Many in our community have expressed concerns that this will/may cause hardship and negative flow-on effects on our community. Many are already struggling to make ends meet and this additional financial burden will only exacerbate our difficulties,” the petition says.
Fabian said the draft plan was very complex and anyone who did not have an accounting degree would struggle to put in a meaningful submission.
Earlier in the week it also became clear how frustrated Minister of Local Government Simeon Brown had been over Upper Hutt’s failure to answer questions on its plans to deal with the water crisis.
On Monday The Post reported that Brown had chosen to take a hard line approach to the Upper Hutt and Wellington City councils, requiring them to provide information under section 257 of the Local Government Act.