'Tricky times': Hastings District Council to rethink big rates increase

Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst spoke about the need to keep rates increases fair. Photo / Warren Buckland

Hastings District Council will go back to the drawing board to try and reduce a large rates hike forecast for the 2022/23 financial year.

The council approved a sizeable 6.9 per cent rates increase last year for ratepayers.

At its first full council meeting of the year on Thursday, the council spent time discussing the importance of not passing on too big a rates increase this year, given the impact of Covid on many people and businesses.

The long term plan sets out a proposed rates hike of 6.4 per cent in 2022 and 5.7 per cent in 2023.

The council heard the 2022/23 Draft Annual Plan may require a higher than expected rates increase of 6.6 per cent, rather than the proposed 6.4 per cent.

However, the council decided the chief executive should "review the draft annual plan budget with the view to bring back a draft annual plan at 6.4 per cent".

The 2022/23 Draft Annual Plan will be finalised at the council's next full meeting in March before it goes out for public feedback.

"These are really tricky times for the community, for business, for the wellbeing of our people," Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said, during the council meeting.

"I think we need to be really mindful that there is some hurt out there and how can we ensure that we are charging fairly for the coming year.

"I would like to see that we remain no more than 6.4 [per cent increase]."

She said, "we are in different times now to when we consulted on the Long Term Plan in 2020".

Chief executive Nigel Bickle said to keep the rates increase at 6.4 per cent would require some cuts to services.

"We can bring back choices but the choices will be about what services you want to stop or reduced service levels because that is the only place to go," he said.