Councillor claims $1500-a-month mileage

Auckland Regional Councillor Dianne Glenn has claimed an average of more than $400 a week for mileage over the last three years. Photos / Brett Phibbs, Martin Sykes

Auckland ratepayers face forking out $1500 a month to some councillors under the new regional authority - just to drive to meetings.

The Aucklander sought, under the Official Information Act, details of expenses claimed by Auckland regional councillors in the past three years.

The heftiest expense is the mileage reimbursements for councillor Dianne Glenn who represents the Franklin/Papakura constituency and chairs the environmental management committee.

Mrs Glenn is based in East St, Pukekohe - 55km from Auckland Regional Council's headquarters in Pitt St, Auckland. Each month, she lodges a claim for mileage at an average over the past three years of $1658.23 a month. That's more than $400 a week.

Mrs Glenn says she has the highest rate of attendance at council meetings and her expense claims reflect that.

Under the new regime, a councillor could incur mileage expenses from even further afield. The northern boundaries have been pushed as far as Te Arai Pt, beyond Leigh and Pakiri. Should a councillor be elected from Leigh for the Rodney ward, for instance, they could be driving more than 75km to downtown Auckland.

Mrs Glenn says if she is elected to the new council in the Franklin ward, her constituency will expand to Orua Bay on Awhitu Peninsula across to Matingarahi in the east.

"I could be serving everyone from Whitford, Beachlands, Clevedon and Orere Pt," she says. "Those places can be a 160km round trip to council for a meeting and back home."

David Wilson, director of AUT's Public Policy Insititute, says between two and six councillors could be chalking up huge miles under the new council.

"That's going to be the cost of the democracy that has been set up," he says. "Twenty councillors is not a lot for the whole Auckland region."

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