John Kirk-Anderson/Stuff
Councillor Yani Johanson put forward three amendments to give extra feedback to CCHL over its statement of intent – but only one of them passed. On Thursday, councillor Yani Johanson put forward three issues he wanted the council to give formal feedback to CCHL on. His proposals were debated and then voted on, with a majority of councillors needing to support each proposal in order for them to be included in the feedback. The first related to senior executive remuneration. Johanson said the ratepayer-owned companies had not done enough in regard to a previous council call for restraint. He wanted clear targets set to reduce remuneration.
Joseph Johnson/Stuff
Catherine Chu was criticised for keeping her six-figure councillor salary while campaigning to become an MP for National in last year s election. Most other councillors have attended more than 60, the next lowest attendance being from fourth term councillor James Gough, who went to 54 – almost twice that of Chu. Her attendance rate has fallen in the past six months – in September,
Stuff revealed that, at that time, she had missed 17 of the 33 briefings. Briefings, closed to the public, are intended to give councillors an in-depth knowledge of issues before they make decisions at council meetings. They are not compulsory.
City councillor defends dismal attendance record at briefings - labelling them a waste of time stuff.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stuff.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
They had until April 30 to comply or the council could issue a $300 fine and an abatement notice to cease the operation. Council regulatory compliance head Tracey Weston this week said 26 car parks had closed and another 19 had applied for a consent. One had so far been successful in gaining a consent. No fines or abatement notices had been issued.
STACY SQUIRES/STUFF
The Christchurch City Council is considering changing its central city parking policy. It says there is a perception the city lacks parking, but is asking if that is really the case or a myth. (First published August 2020) Weston said council staff were yet to visit the 50 sites that had not closed or applied for a consent to verify if they were still operating.
STUFF
A proposed airport in Central Otago was the target of an Extinction Rebellion protest at the Christchurch City Council. (Video first published in December 2020) Johanson said he had a number of concerns about the new airport, although other councillors have backed away from his amendment. The vote will take place on May 13 and requires support from a majority of councillors to pass. The vote was pushed back on Thursday because staff from holding company Christchurch City Holdings Ltd (CCHL) were not available to answer questions.
Jo McKenzie-McLean/Stuff CCHL was established to create a non-political buffer between the council and its trading businesses.