David Farrar: Remember these when the Wellington City Council claims it had no choice but to increase rates 20%

Defenders of the massive 20% rates increase in Wellington would have you believe this has nothing to do with decisions made by Councillors, but it was instead just due to the need to spend more on water infrastructure etc.

So the next time you hear someone claim this, recall the following decisions made by WCC:

1. $593 million on social housing

2. $400 million for a sludge minimisation facility at Moa Point

3. $330 million on rebuilding the town hall so we have another music venue

4. $240 million on Civic Square

5. $236 million on food recycling

6. $189 million on Te Matapihi library

7. $180 million on the Takina convention centre

8. $160 million on cycleways

9. $139 million on removing cars and redeveloping the Golden Mile

10. $55 million to “upgrade” Thorndon Quay

11. $42 million on renovating St James Theatre

12. $32 million to Reading Cinemas (attempted but failed)

13. $13 million on a carpark building

This is why rates are going up 20%. That’s well over $2 billion in non-core expenditure which comes to over $25,000 per household.

David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders.