Council to Blame for Housing Un-affordability

“The incompetence of Auckland Council is leaving the battered dreams of thousands of young Aucklanders in its wake as Auckland is today labelled the ninth least affordable city in the world to live,” says Affordable Auckland Leader Stephen Berry.

“Mayor Len Brown continues to bury his head in the ground, blaming the cost of building materials and a lack of competition in the construction market for high Auckland prices.” Stephen Berry rubbishes this claim saying, “Even if the Mayor’s phony excuses are true, what steps is he taking to reduce the cost of building consents and compliance costs which would open up the industry to more construction providers?”

“As house prices continue to sky-rocket the solution continues to be a very basic one of supply and demand. Auckland Council refuses to abolish the rural-urban limit, refuses to let those in outer Auckland build residential property on their own land and continues to ignore basic economics.”

“When you restrict the supply of a product, the price increases. That is NCEA Level 1 economics. Len Brown has no business being Mayor of Auckland if he cannot grasp that simple fact.”

Stephen Berry says massive reform is required soon to prevent the explosion of a second property bubble in less than a decade. “The Government needs to abolish the vague and expensive Resource Management Act. The Council needs to slash consent and compliance costs and immediately remove the rural-urban boundary.”

“Auckland cannot wait until the 2016 election for sanity to prevail.”

Stephen Berry was the Affordable Auckland candidate for Mayor in 2013. He finished in third place..

ENDS

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