Schools let off $90 park fee

Pt Chevalier School appealed against a permit fee for booking a local park. Photo / Dean Purcell

An inner-city Auckland school has been let off a $90 permit fee for using a public park for its end-of-year picnic.

Auckland Council announced the about-turn on its two-month-old events policy after Pt Chevalier School appealed against a permit fee for booking a local park which it has used free for the last nine years.

The school appealed to Mayor Len Brown and parks, recreation and sport committee chairman Christine Fletcher.

Principal Sandra Aitken said the charge seemed unfair because parents of children at the school already paid for parks in their council rates.

Fourteen other city schools with small playgrounds and growing rolls were also liable for the fee for their annual events in local parks.

Councillors Fletcher and Calum Penrose, who is the chairman of the committee which brought in a new bylaw for use of public places, said it was never intended that schools and community events be hit with such a fee.

Mr Penrose said he called an urgent meeting of council lawyers and managers after publicity about the new charge. "In my view regional parks should provide better revenue but when it comes to local parks, schools and community events, no way should we be charging them," he said.