40,000 signatures ready for ARC

Formal ratepayer grouping to be established.

The Regional Ratepayers rebellion campaign is now moving to establish a formalised Confederation of ratepayer associations throughout the Auckland with the initial aim of carrying on the battle against the Auckland Regional Council rates setting debacle.

We have been receiving many requests for a formal organisation which will be recognised by local, regional and central governments as representing the views of ratepayers.

A draft application for Incorporation is being finalised for discussion and approval by invited representatives of the region's approximately 50 Ratepayers Associations at a meeting to be held in Glenfield on 4th October.

Rebellion campaign spokesman David Thornton [Chairman of Glenfield Ratepayer] also announced that about 40,000 signatures had been obtained on the Rodney Protest Petition and the Regionwide Rebellion Petition. "This is an amazing total which has been gathered in less than six weeks.. It only took less than 1000 signatures for the Peter Ellis petition to produce a select committee inquiry - surely our 40,000 signatures must force an appropriate response from either the ARC or the government - or preferably both" says Mr Thornton.

The campaign will now seek an appropriate opportunity to formally hand the petition to ARC chair Gwen Bull.

"Those signatures, plus the tens of thousands of 'rebels' who have not paid their rates have certainly given us a mandate to speak on behalf of regional ratepayers. We now need to translate that mandate into a more formalised arrangement" says David Thornton

The proposal for a regional Confederation is being developed by the co-ordinators of the rebellion campaign, David Thornton [North Shore and Auckland] John Drury and Ron Mottram [Rodney] Grant Taylor [Manukau City and Papakura] and Ken Elcoat [Waitakere City]

More details will be posted on the campaign website next week. www.ratesrebellion.org.nz

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