NoMoreRates calls for freeze on elected local authorities remuneration

22ND January 2009

Chair and Members
Remuneration Authority

Request for freeze on elected local authorities remuneration.

Following the Prime Minister’s proposal to you that there should be no pay increase for Members of Parliament in the current year, due to the critical international financial crisis, I urge your Authority to make a similar decision in relation to the remuneration of elected members of all regional, city and district councils.

While the Prime Minister may be making his appeal as a sincere public gesture, my appeal to you is on behalf ratepayers who are directly responsible, through council rates, for funding any increase in elected members pay.

I do not believe such a move will cause any hardship to elected members generally – especially councillors in the larger councils whose pay levels are currently between $70,000 and around $100,000.

A freeze on total remuneration would still allow some re-balancing of remuneration within the current remuneration limits – for example, reducing the councillors pool of funds to allow an increase in payments to community board members, whose current remuneration can be as low as 10% of a councillor’s salary.

I ask you to give urgent consideration on this request.

David Thornton
Founder/Organiser – NoMoreRates campaign

ENDS

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