Council consultation blunder becomes insult

Dick Hubbard

Auckland City Mayor Dick Hubbard is playing down a series of consultation blunders that have left people feeling the council does not listen to or care about their views.

Councillor Faye Storer said it was time for Mr Hubbard to call a summit of councillors to rein in senior officers following the Vulcan Lane fiasco and the uncovering of an officers' plan to move Waiheke's library to a far-flung site without consulting residents.

The Gulf Islands councillor said the community expected politicians to work on their behalf.

"But how can you do that when you are fighting your own bureaucracy? We need to restore the balance". While Mr Hubbard was in China last week, chief executive David Rankin and several of his senior officers lost a year-long battle to tear up the red pebble pavers in Vulcan Lane; retailers in another CBD pedestrian zone, Swanson St, accused the council of not listening to their concerns; and the council opened a $500,000 pedestrian plaza in Kingsland that officers pushed against the wishes of locals.

The council also stopped laying red pebble concrete on footpaths in March without telling residents, councillors or the company that provides the red chip.

Mr Hubbard said he did not believe the council had a consultation problem. Officers had the job to come up with options and give politicians their preferred options, he said.

"That's healthy."

Officers did make errors with Vulcan Lane by not picking up the true message and depth of feeling about the use of bluestone, he said, but there was no "ill intent".

Documents obtained by the Herald show officers said they would not look at any ideas for Vulcan Lane they did not like.

Mr Hubbard said he also wanted to "get to the bottom" of a press release that arts, community and recreation general manager Jill McPherson tried to issue on the Waiheke library issue.

Faye Storer was furious when she discovered Dr McPherson had drafted the press release, and enlisted Mr Hubbard's help to have it withdrawn 10 days ago.

She said the community clearly did not want the library moved from Oneroa to industrial Ostend.

"It was dreamed up by staff and I can only assume it is for staff because it doesn't serve the community."

In a sign that Mr Rankin is taking the consultation blunders seriously, a press release has gone out under his name saying he will listen and discuss the concerns of Swanson St businesses.

Mr Rankin, who has only been in the $429,000 top job since July, said the council had run a comprehensive consultation process that raised three issues of concern.

It would check those issues and consult further through the design stages.