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Christchurch assets could be sold - Labour

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Christchurch assets could be sold - Labour

3News NZ

he Government on Monday unveiled the plan for the new CBD

he Government on Monday unveiled the plan for the new CBD

Labour and the Greens think the Government is putting pressure on Christchurch City Council to sell assets to pay for the CBD rebuild.

Labour's Christchurch East MP Lianne Dalziel says the council has held on to its revenue-generating assets for years to keep rates in check.

"To find out that the pressure is now on the city council to sell these assets to fund the Government's plans is a step too far," she said today.

The Government on Monday unveiled the plan for the new CBD but designs aren't finalised and there's no costing for it.

Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee told reporters he was going to discuss funding with the council.

"We are not ruling anything in or anything out," he said.

"The council is in a difficult position, they've got a job on their hands that no other council in New Zealand has ever had to deal with - having discussions is very important and I'm not going to prejudice them beforehand."

The Greens questioned Mr Brownlee in parliament, but apart from confirming he had received advice from Treasury about selling assets to help pay for the rebuild he wouldn't reveal anything else.

NZN

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Comments

2/08/2012 3:59:08 p.m.

Chargone wrote:

Bruce: if they sell off revenue generating assets the ratepayer ends up paying for it Anyway. that lost income has to be replaced to cover ongoing expenses, which translates directly into rates increases. hardly a case of the left being morons. one could make an argument either way. National just has an obsession with selling off assets Anyway, so no one trusts that such an idea coming from them actually balances out best. in fact, they tend to assume that the decision has nothing to do with what the best outcome is and everything to do with ideological obsession. reality is, without a lot more accurate numbers, there's no way of knowing which way is harsher on the rate-payer. all we know is that the current national government (which is also a National government. capitalisation is important) likes selling assets even when it's a Stupid idea. you don't sell profitable assets to get out of a financial hole until you have no other options, because all it does is make it more likely for you to end up right back in that hole the next time something happens due to those lost funds.

2/08/2012 6:03:53 a.m.

alison wrote:

The citys plans are lovely like a shiny new ring in a place of disaster. Light at the end of the tunnel perhaps. But, why would you pull down buildings that are solid to be replaced with shiny new ones only to be sold off with other assets the council owns to pay for it. A bit like going to the bank and borrowing for a swimming pool. Not a need in these hard financial times but more of a want and the good people that are struggling already in ChCh are going to have to pay for it. Sounds like a Key wishlist for a spoilt child

1/08/2012 10:58:33 p.m.

Bruce wrote:

So it's OK to load it on to the long suffering rate payer ? The left are morons. They still tink money grows on trees. The left need to get out of thier marrow minded, anti progress, socialist idealogies.

1/08/2012 10:50:42 p.m.

Grant wrote:

If the last quote in the item is correct, then Mr Brownlee never studied history or he would remember the 1931 Napier earthquake and the rebuild there.