No say for public in council spending

Local Government Minister Rodney Hide. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Multimillion-dollar spending decisions are being passed by local body politicians without public input as Auckland's fragmented councils enter their final days.

The decisions are being made after a quirk in the establishment of the Supercity which allows councils to avoid airing their spending plans in public.

Councillors are understood to be elevating pet projects up priority lists without ratepayer scrutiny.

And the Herald on Sunday has discovered that there are no processes in place to carry out checks on the spending - although Local Government Minister Rodney Hide says ratepayers should not be concerned.

"These are the elected representatives ... they are the ones to be held to account."

The seven councils facing extinction published their completed annual plans last month. The plans set out spending until the Supercity comes to life on November 1. No public submissions are being taken though.