All the Government has achieved from its announcement today is to continue to push responsibility back on councils for its own lack of action to help bring down skyrocketing rates.

“Right across the country, people are facing up to double digit rates increases as a result of this Government’s political posturing on water infrastructure and refusal to help councils with new revenue,” Labour’s local government spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said.

“Today Christopher Luxon and Simeon Brown stood at the podium and unironically said councils’ funds are tight, so therefore housing shouldn’t be a priority for them.

“They said they should fund roads instead of housing people. But it shouldn’t have to be either or.

“Councils are in this situation because those same Ministers cancelled the Affordable Water Reforms, stopping the very solution to keep rates down, and then waited months to announce a worse plan.

“The Government also knows there is a longer-term problem with the ratings system, so instead of looking for a solution they dismissed all recommendations from the review into the future of local government and are doing everything possible to shift the blame onto councils.

“They’re keeping their own noses clean, rather than finding a way to bring down costs for ratepayers and I think that is cynical and disingenuous.

“Every time people get a surprise in their rates bill, look at Simeon Brown because it’s his doing,” Kieran McAnulty said.