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Bruce Hucker has resigned as leader of City Vision after a falling-out with most of his team on the Auckland City Council over soaring water bills.
It is understood Dr Hucker was effectively dumped by council colleagues at a City Vision campaign meeting on Tuesday night. The matter was finally resolved about midday yesterday with Dr Hucker resigning immediately but staying on as deputy mayor until October's local body elections.
He will get to keep the deputy mayor's salary of $82,972, rising to $86,803 next month, but his mana in centre-left circles has been compromised.
Dr Hucker, 63, has come under intense pressure for championing a new policy of higher water bills. He was selected by the centre-left ticket on Sunday to stand for the council in the Western Bays ward.
He went on radio the next day and said water bills would have to rise by "small" increases of 9 to 10 per cent every year for a decade and was confident of political support to push through the increases.
Last evening Dr Hucker told the Herald: "I'm not going to talk to you, I'm not being rude to you, but thank you very much for your call," and hung up.
One City Vision politician told the Herald this week that Dr Hucker was "absolutely intransigent" on the water issue.
"We have sweated blood over it for weeks and months with absolutely no movement from Bruce."
The politician said there was a concern that Dr Hucker would win his seat in the rock-solid City Vision ward of Western Bays and "we get defeated because we are tarred with the same brush as Bruce".
Dr Hucker has been widely condemned by politicians on the left for his hard line on water. Regional Council chairman and City Vision politician Mike Lee accused him of "trashing City Vision's election policies".
Green Party MP Sue Bradford said she was astonished that Dr Hucker "is supporting this rabid increase in water costs to gouge ratepayers".
Central Auckland Labour MP and Minister for Auckland Issues Judith Tizard urged City Vision to "work together" and have a clear water policy for the local body elections.
Water Pressure Group spokeswoman Penny Bright said "Dr Hucker could not handle the water pressure" and a campaign to dump him at the polls would continue.
Last night, Mayor Dick Hubbard would not comment on Dr Hucker's resignation because it was an internal City Vision political matter. He did not think the resignation would affect the running of the council.
After the water debate claimed its first scalp, Mr Hubbard yesterday backed away from previous strong support for the new policy that has led to water bills rising 9.6 and 9.1 per cent in the first two years.
On May 24, Mr Hubbard told the Herald he supported further increases in dividends from the council-owned water company, Metrowater, over 10 years: "That was signalled in the long-term plan very clearly a year ago. We set it out very clearly and we are following through on that."
On May 25, Mr Hubbard told the Herald he would be going to voters at the elections "with the consistent policy that we set out in the long term council community plan, which does call for an increase in charitable payments from Metrowater".
The plan, or 10-year budget, sets out higher water prices to pay higher dividends to the council.
Asked yesterday if he was still for the policy of higher water bills to pay for higher dividends, Mr Hubbard said: "I'm not going to dive into detail or comment on that."
No less than eight times, Mr Hubbard said the water issue would be open for discussion in November when the council starts the budget process for next year. A majority of councillors, including himself, voted at the finance committee on May 23 to look at the water issue in November with an "open mind", he said.
It is understood Dr Hucker will be replaced by Labour councillor and former Labour MP Richard Northey and City Vision councillor Vern Walsh in a power-sharing role until the elections.
