Auckland’s 21 local boards united in a letter to Mayor Wayne Brown last week, rejecting that they must absorb a $17.6 million budget shortfall tied to the Fairer Funding Initiative.
The letter, dated March 10, highlights the significant pressures imposed on local board activities due to the cost-cutting measures, asserting that local boards had “no control over the budget” and "all decisions were made without any reference to any Local Board”.
While Wayne Brown responded earlier this week, ensuring that local boards would not need to seek extra funding to cover the budget shortfall this year, these discussions will become relevant again for next year’s budget.
Group chief financial officer for Auckland Council, Ross Tucker, says the council "is embarking on a challenging transition to an equity-based funding model that will see local boards being empowered with more budget autonomy as well as greater budget responsibility".
Also, as the need increases to address the number of roaming dogs on the street, as well as the number of dog attacks, Auckland Council has opened a council-operated dog adoption centre.
Last year, less than half of roaming dogs were claimed by their owners, the lowest amount in a decade. The adoption centre which opened on the weekend will house over forty dogs in an effort to relieve the strain on animal shelters around Auckland.
Producer Sara spoke to Councillor Shane Henderson about both of these issues this morning. To start off, she asked him to explain the purpose of Auckland Council’s Fairer Funding Initiative.
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