Len Brown cops flak over rates percentage

Mayor Len Brown. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Auckland councillors are angry with the Super City Mayor with some claiming he has not been straight with the people of Auckland regarding their rates.

Mayor Len Brown's promise that no Aucklander will have to pay more than a 10 per cent rates increase does not match what many households have been asked to pay in their latest rates bill, they claim.

For 133,000 eligible households the average increase was 10.25 per cent, said Auckland Councillor Cameron Brewer who sought the figures from the council's financial department.

"The Mayor's not quite being straight with ratepayers on this one. He said it's going to be a maximum increase of 10 per cent.

"What he didn't say was that was based on one baseline rate. When you add in the targeted rates, the 10 per cent cap is in fact a bit more than that on average.''

Mr Brewer said that for the last few months the Mayor promised anyone who would listen that no one would pay more than 10 per cent and now that's not the case, it's not good enough.