“Unbridled Open Chequebook” for Monte Cecilia

Auckland City Council was today accused of having “an unbridled open chequebook for acquiring land and property for Monte Cecilia Park”.

Garth Houltham today presented the Council’s Art Culture & Recreation Committee with a petition of 2,440 signatures opposing any further purchases of properties surrounding Monte Cecilia Park and supporting the retention of Monte Cecilia School on its current site at the park.

Councillor Cathy Casey lost a move to have officers report on how much money has already been spent or set aside for land purchases including the future costs of buying up “Liston Village, the Marcellin College playing fields, St Francis Friary and various other properties identified by Auckland City Council to extend Monte Cecilia Park”.

Councillor Casey says there is no ceiling to the spend-up on the park. Dr Jill McPherson, General Manager Arts Culture and Recreation said that beyond the allocation of funding in the Ten Year Plan to purchase open space, including the land occupied by Monte Cecilia School, Council could purchase key properties for Monte Cecilia Park as and when opportunities arose but that funding would be unbudgeted.

Councillor Casey says, “It is the ratepayers of the new Auckland Council that will have to pay for this council’s fast-tracked unbridled spending. I am concerned at the speed with which this Council is moving to evict Monte Cecilia School, stitch up a deal on Liston Village and to acquire more properties around the park. The reality is that a thriving primary school is being evicted simply to make room for cars bringing visitors to the new James Wallace Arts Centre due to open mid-August.”

Councillor Glenda Fryer is concerned that in the run up to the Super City election, there is no independent monitoring of the Council’s spending:

“The Ombudsman, the Auditor General and the Auckland Transition Agency have all declined to investigate this fast-tracked unbridled spending by John Banks and his Citizens & Ratepayers Councillors which will evict Monte Cecilia School and leave many elderly residents of Liston Village marooned to live out their lives surrounded by a sea of empty units.”

“If Council had followed its own processes, Monte Cecilia School would be resited in the existing park somewhere nearby and this council would be saving the future ratepayers of the region the $15 million plus it will cost to evict and rebuild the school,” says Councillor Fryer.

ENDS

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