Latest news with #mayoralty
RNZ News
a day ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Gore mayoralty: Rates, debt hot topics as Ben Bell, Nicky Davis square off
Gore mayor Ben Bell speaks at the meeting on Monday night. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton It's a two horse race in the Gore District with a former councillor and the current mayor facing off for the mayoralty. Last election, then-23-year-old Ben Bell became the youngest mayor in the country's history, ousting incumbent Tracy Hicks by just eight votes. This time round he's competing against Nicky Davis, a former councillor and council head of operations. They went head-to-head in a Southland Business Chamber debate in Gore on Monday night. Nicky Davis, left, and Ben Bell front for the debate. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton Gore residents arrived at the debate armed with issues they want to see tackled - rates, core infrastructure, central services and debt were top of mind. Bell acknowledged it had not been an easy first 18 months . During that time, he weathered calls for him to step down, a potential vote of no confidence that was ultimately aborted , and a fractured relationship with then-chief executive Stephen Parry, who ultimately resigned . But he said the council pushed through change during the tough times. "We changed from building an imaginary bridge to building a pipeline under the ground. We changed from buying land for no reason to selling assets to pay back debt, and we changed a top heavy council to appointing a new chief executive to running the council properly," Bell said. The district was ripe for an economic boom and he wanted to attract more businesses here, he said. Gore mayor Ben Bell Photo: Supplied / Facebook Davis thought her council days were behind her. However, it was community concern about rates and the direction of the council that encouraged her to stand for mayor. "This year, the rate rise was closer to 24 (percent), but instead the council opted to rate 8.8 (percent) and borrow the rest, giving us all a false sense economy," she said. "This is like putting the groceries on the credit card." She flagged a possible moratorium on new spending and wanted the council and chief executive to investigate how they could cut costs further, including staffing costs. She feared the council might be forced to merge with other local councils or make unwanted change in the future "The preference for me would be to be involved in those discussions. We need to get the best deal we can get for our ratepayers, not shoved into something without a voice," Davis said. Bell was sceptical about possible amalgamation and he was also worried Gore might lose its independence. "That's what you've got to fight for is making sure that the structure is correct before you press go. I don't think that if you dwindle Gore down to one seat on a bigger council or to a community board and then doing away with the Mataura community board, I don't think that's representation that Gore deserves," Bell said. The government's September deadline for submitting their water service delivery plans is looming. Bell said the council recently agreed to partner up. "We're really lucky. We've managed to hold onto both Central Otago and Clutha so we can get those economies of scale," he said. "But in terms of the overall framework, I do think it's been a shambles. It's been a really tough ask." Davis said they needed more councils to hop onboard. "With three councils that are left, I'm not sure that there's enough in the way of numbers to actually bring down the costs enough so I think further discussions and further explorations need to be made," she said. Debate MC Jeff Grant was pleased to see plenty of interest from the public. "At the end of the day, the mayor is the leader of the council in terms of forming the debate and the direction of the district," Grant said. But did the ratepayers get what they were after? It was a mixed response when RNZ spoke to residents after the debate - some were happy with the answers they got while others said they did not hear enough about solutions. With less than two months until election day, Gore ratepayers were keen to hear more before giving their tick of approval.
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Kerrin Leoni calls out Wayne Brown over cherrypicking candidate events
Wayne Brown and Kerrin Leoni. Photo: RNZ A contender for Auckland's mayoralty is accusing incumbent Mayor Wayne Brown of cherry-picking candidate events that skew towards an older demographic. RNZ reported this week that Mayor Wayne Brown had agreed to share the stage with Auckland councillor and mayoral candidate Kerrin Leoni at Grey Power North Shore's ' Let's Talk About Auckland ' event on 19 September. Facing the media on Thursday morning for the first time since she announced her fiscal plan , Leoni said it was not good enough that the event was the only time her and Brown were set to go head-to-head. "It's great that he has finally accepted to do something, but I'm really disappointed that he hasn't accepted any invitations for debates so far," she said. "There's a huge question as to why he's going with Grey Power. Is it because he's a 78-year-old man?" Leoni said Brown was avoiding debating her directly, by opting for Grey Power's event, where candidates would each give a 7-10-minute speech and partake in an audience Q&A. "It's an important part of the mayoral election for debates to go ahead and he's declined all of them to date. It's shocking for democracy in our city. How has he given anyone a chance to hear what his polices are?" Leoni said. "If he wins, it will be based on name recognition or because he's an incumbent and not anything else." She said Brown was also refusing to engage with young voters, after rejecting youth-focused debate requests. The University of Auckland Debating Society has confirmed their event is going ahead despite only Leoni responding to its invite . "If he [Wayne Brown] doesn't turn up that's bad luck for him. But I will definitely be there," she said. "Auckland Grammar is another one that had to be cancelled." Auckland Grammar School confirmed to RNZ it wanted to hold a mayoral debate this year but could not due to candidate availability. Grey Power North Shore president Trish Deans said North Shore residents were prepared to press the candidates on important issues affecting the whole city. "We aren't a soft option. Residents like us are polite, but come voting time we deliver a strong message to any candidate," Deans said. "Superannuants struggle with the cost of living and rates. Wayne and Kerrin will have to convince us that their way forward will work. We want to know that within 20 years, we're not going to last that long ourselves, that we've left something valuable behind. "We're not just a group that care about us, we care about Auckland." A spokesperson for Brown's campaign denied he was ignoring any age group. "Wayne is very focused on his job as Mayor and delivering for the people of Auckland," they said. "He engages with a very wide range of groups, ages and communities in that role. He is not focusing on seeking out debating competitions." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
6 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Mayoral hopeful Kerrin Leoni attacks Wayne Brown's financial record
Auckland councillor and mayoral candidate Kerrin Leoni Photo: Supplied / NZ Herald The main challenger for the Auckland mayoralty has launched a broadside at Wayne Brown, saying he failed to fix the city, as he promised. Auckland councillor and mayoral candidate Kerrin Leoni faced the media for the first time on Thursday morning since releasing her fiscal policy plan . "Three years ago, Wayne Brown swaggered into Auckland, saying that he was going to fix Auckland. "The feedback we're getting is that there has been no fix for Auckland. We've got the same issues happening right across the city, our debt has increased by $1 billion, our rates have gone up by over 20 percent, and Aucklanders are really unhappy with what they're getting at the moment from council." She accused the mayor of not managing council finances well. "Our most significant asset, the Auckland Airport shares is gone, it has been sold, and it's never coming back. "He sold our biggest asset, but has still had to raise rates and increase our debt. I don't think his management of funds has been the best, and we could do a lot better." She said the council's lease on the Ports of Auckland could be under threat if Brown was re-elected. As part of her fiscal plan, Leoni proposed that a 75 percent council majority be met or a public referendum be held before the council sold any of its strategic assets. "We want to ensure we're not selling any more strategic assets in the future. "The Ports of Auckland could still be on the table if Wayne Brown gets back in. There's no legal document regarding the sale of the ports in the future that stops him from doing that. "The North Harbour Stadium is another strategic asset that could be sold under his leadership in the next term. He has talked about that in the past." She conceded that her policy to cut spending on consultants by 40 percent was a goal, and that it might be closer to 30 percent in reality. Auckland mayor Wayne Brown Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi In a statement to RNZ, mayor Brown pushed back on Leoni's economic plan, questioning her credibility. "Her announcement can't be taken seriously. "She directly voted against plans to reduce spending in the current term. She has not bought solutions to the council table. She has not established any credibility on these issues. "It is concerning that she wants a 'fiscal policy', which is set by central government rather than a council financial plan. If she wants to challenge those settings, she is standing for the wrong office." Leoni also pledged to cap rates rises to below or at the inflation rate from the second year of her term if elected. When asked by RNZ if he would match this, Brown said he would continue to keep rates as low as possible. "Her promise doesn't match her voting record on council. Mine does. I have kept rates as low as possible through reducing wasteful spending, driving down costs, and improving asset performance. That's my renewed pledge." In response to the mayor's comments, Leoni said all Auckland councillors had voted to reduce spending. "In terms of solutions, one clear solution we voted on to save money for Aucklanders was the $50 cap for public transport in the city."
Yahoo
03-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Manchester's housing crisis is not the council's fault
Andy Burnham frequently says Greater Manchester's teenagers 'can see the skyscrapers from their bedroom window' but can't see 'a path' there. It's a comment he uses to argue for improved education so teenagers can secure a well-paying job in the city centre. But it could just as easily be applied to house prices. Since Mr Burnham took the mayoralty in 2017, thousands of luxury apartments have been constructed in town. Despite traditional economic logic dictating extra supply will lower prices, a council report last year found new 'homes are increasingly priced towards the top of the market however… this can result in the perverse impact of new supply ostensibly adding to the inflationary pressures in parts of the city where new development has been most intense'. READ MORE: Murder arrest at Manchester Airport after death of teen stabbed in car park READ MORE: The 'forgotten' Greater Manchester estate where people are demanding change The average house price in Manchester city centre in April was £270,036. That's more than eight times the average Manchester salary, calculated at £32,704 last November. In the same month, the average rent in the borough of Manchester was listed at £1,310 per month. That's means someone earning the average Manchester salary would have to spend more than half of their take-home pay on rent if they lived alone. Never miss a story with the MEN's daily Catch Up newsletter - get it in your inbox by signing up here But it's not like the council hasn't tried to stop house prices climbing in town. Since 2012, it's had a policy that says a fifth of all units need to be affordable, if a developer is set to make 20 per cent profit. How much money a developer will make is scrutinised by an independent expert, and if they tell the council the 'viability assessment' shows returns under 20 per cent, the developer is exempt from affordable housing. Often, the town hall will still ask developers to make a smaller 'section 106 contribution' to community infrastructure, like schools or parks, or the council's 'housing affordability fund' in lieu of the affordable homes. It also includes 'clawback clauses' when giving out planning permission, so if a developer that initially is exempt from affordable housing then makes more than 20 per cent profit, the council can get more cash out of them. While they rarely produce big returns to the public purse, it was recently revealed one had to pay £700,000 for a city centre project. How much developers chip into public projects and affordable housing made headline news this summer, following a court case between Mr Burnham's office, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and Aubrey Weis, a major city centre landowner. Mr Weis claimed the GMCA's decision to loan major developer Renaker £140m 'distorted' the property market. The Competition Appeals Tribunal dismissed the claim. Contributions were raised again by opposition Lib Dem councillor Chris Northwood earlier this month, who told the town hall: 'Many, many large-scale developments in the city centre are approved through planning with zero affordable housing. 'That means we are not building those mixed, integrated communities for the future we want. It seems to me the existing system of independent assessments does not produce meaningful figures… and there's a huge lack of transparency over these.' Her motion referenced a 2017 Shelter report which found developers 'inflate their bids for land', pushing up the total bill for a building. That means profit margins take a hit in viability assessments so they don't hit the 20 per cent threshold and don't build affordable units, the report said. 'Developers know that they can use the loophole, and so factor it into their bids for new sites,' author Rose Grayston concluded. 'In fact, they must: if one developer does not plan to use the loophole, they risk being outbid for land by another one who does. This pushes the price of land up, making development more expensive.' Coun Northwood's motion was amended by governing Labour councillors, who point out most affordable housing is actually funded by a completely different scheme. Last year, 3,864 new homes were built in Manchester, with around 3,300 available on the open market, and 511 affordable (13 per cent of the total). More is coming — contractors are currently building roughly 12,000 homes in the city, 1,470 of which are affordable (12 per cent), and about 18,500 units are in the planning system now, with around 2,250 affordable (12 per cent). In fact, section 106 money only builds about one in 10 affordable homes in Manchester. The other 90 per cent is funded by grants given to housing associations and public bodies, largely from Homes England and the GMCA. That's why town hall chiefs have been genuinely encouraged by Rachel Reeves' decision to 'double the grant pot' to £39b over the next decade, because it's a model they understand. And it's a game they've become good at playing. Recently, One Manchester finished 24 new apartments and houses on Brigham Street in Openshaw, made possible by Homes England grants which created Manchester council's £3m 'Project 500' initiative, that helps housing associations cover the cost of building on brownfield land. All 24 homes are affordable, as are all Project 500 homes — 90 per cent will also be available at social rent. Grants also help the authority's own development company, called This City, which recently finished No. 1 Ancoats Green, a 129-apartment and townhouse development where 30 per cent are available at 'Manchester Living Rent', set at the level of the local housing allowance. Another city centre project from housing association Great Places will create 89 affordable flats on Laystall Street in the Northern Quarter in spring 2026 — again made possible by grant funding. The council has other levers to help get affordable homes to Mancs. A fifth of the massive, 850-home development planned for Mayfield will be affordable, partly due to the fact the town hall is a member of the 'partnership' overseeing the redevelopment of the area into a new neighbourhood. It's also been able to lean on developer Salboy to make nearly 30 per cent of the homes in its Viadux 2 project affordable, because it owns the land where two towers will shoot up. A new council initiative has also brought 276 empty homes back to the market, although only three have gone towards social housing. But while efforts are being made to solve Manchester's housing crisis, the current rate of building is clearly not enough. A recent town hall report found the number of people on the top three bands of the council's housing register surged to 11,500, an increase of 15 per cent, last year. It's grown by 49 per cent since April 2022. In part, the reason why affordable housing demand is growing when affordable housing supply is increasing is because newbuild figures are tempered by right-to-buy sales. Council tenants can purchase their home after three years. Last year, 137 did so, so the 'net gain' of affordable housing to Manchester wasn't 511 — it was 374. Over the last decade, the city built 3,998 affordable homes. It lost 2,139 to right-to-buy, so a net rise of only 1,859. The government is planning on making it harder for council tenants to buy their homes, extending the minimum occupancy window to 10 years and exempting any new stock from right-to-buy for 35 years — so the problem will subside, but not disappear. It's not just smaller gains that's an issue. Roughly half of all newly-constructed city centre homes, which would be perfect for first-time-buyers, are bought by investors to rent out — something council officer Nick Cole called 'a concern', because it cuts the amount of homes available to buy and increases the number of renters, blocking up the market. Nationally, big changes are in store for renters, as section 21 'no fault evictions' are expected to be abolished in early 2026 by the government. Ahead of the move, the council is seeing a spike in section 21 notices, sometimes following persistent increases in rent to a point where tenants can make ends meet — so they enter the council housing system. The question of how many affordable homes and who should pay for them looms as Manchester council is preparing its first local plan for 13 years — effectively its blueprint for development. It will be formally adopted by the end of the year. Campaigners are calling for all new developments to include 30 per cent affordable housing, but the final details of the plan have yet to be released. Whatever the final document says in the autumn, Manchester as a city will need to keep building affordable homes — and that requires grants to fund it, the council to steer it, and developers to play their part.
New York Times
15-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Mamdani for Mayor (if You Want a Foil for Republicans)
Two groups must be especially thrilled by the prospect of Zohran Mamdani becoming New York's next mayor. The first: young, progressive-leaning voters who gave the charismatic 33-year-old State Assembly member his come-out-of-nowhere victory in last month's Democratic primary. They want what he wants: rent freezes, free public buses, city-owned grocery stores, tax hikes for corporations and millionaires, curbs on the police, a near doubling of the minimum wage to $30 an hour and the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu. The second: Republicans who want to make sure that Democrats remain the perfect opposition party — far-left, incompetent, divided, distrusted and, on a national level, unelectable. Remember when Ronald Reagan ran against the 'San Francisco Democrats' in 1984 and carried 49 states? Get ready for the G.O.P. to run against 'Mamdani Democrats' for several election cycles to come. That's a thought that ought to give moderate Democrats pause before they accept Mamdani's mayoralty as a political fait accompli, or even think of getting behind him. Among the reasons the Democratic Party's brand has become toxic in recent years is progressive misgovernance in places like Los Angeles; San Francisco; Oakland, Calif.; Portland, Ore.; Seattle; and Chicago. If Mamdani governs on the promises on which he's campaigned, he'll bring the same toxicity to America's biggest city. How so? Some of Mamdani's proposals, like the city-owned groceries, are almost too foolish to mention: Public grocery stores struggle to stock their shelves, can't compete with private groceries, lack economies of scale and have a recent record of failure in the United States. Other ideas, like free buses, would merely exacerbate the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's shaky finances, which is one reason Kathy Hochul, New York's Democratic governor, didn't renew a free bus ride pilot program last year. Turns out, socialism works no better in Brooklyn than it does in Havana. But those ideas won't be as destructive as Mamdani's other brainstorms. 'Freeze the rent,' his popular campaign slogan, applies only to rent-stabilized apartments, which account for about half of the city's rental units. But a rent freeze would have precisely the same effects in New York as it has everywhere else: Particularly in a time of inflation, it would lead landlords to cut costs on maintenance, jack up prices on non-stabilized units, convert rental buildings to condos or co-ops and stop new developments that would require affordable housing. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
