Auckland Council could exceed staff budget again

Auckland City Council. Photo / Natalie Slade

Auckland Council cannot give an assurance that staff costs - which blew out $63 million in the past year - will stay within budget this year.

Last year's figures show the staff budget of $729 million had risen to $792 million.

Councillor Cameron Brewer today asked council finance general manager Kevin Ramsay if he was confident the council would come within this year's staff budget of $771 million, he said: "I can't give you that assurance."

Speaking at the monthly governing body meeting, Mr Ramsay said the total operational spending on staff and suppliers was within 0.5 per cent of budget, but any one line item could have its ups and downs.

Mr Ramsay later told the Herald that the operational spending for the first two months of the financial year were currently running under budget, but the first picture of staff costs would not be known until next month with the release of the first three-month accounts.

Said Mr Brewer: "The ongoing dismissiveness of these issues by council leaders, flies completely in the face of what the public demanded in feedback to the recent 10-year budget just a few months back. The highest number of submissions on where people wanted to see spending cuts was overwhelmingly in the area of governance and support."

A Herald-DigiPoll last year found 42.5 per cent of Aucklanders polled believed the best way for the council to meet its budget was to reduce staff and salaries.

Figures for the past year show the fulltime equivalent staff numbers increased by 208 to 9678.