Let's put the claim of Council's extravagance into perspective.

Our Annual Plan, soon to be public, will list 16 major areas of activity, from transport, water, sewerage and other hard infrastructural items to libraries, parks, economic development and community facilities. All of which are an essential (and not extravagant) part of the community's business.

However, what is extravagant, (and not of our doing) is because of the  Turver motorway, over $8m of NZTA subsidy to council relating to the work done for the Western Link, has now had to be written back into last year's accounts. Part of the projected surplus is therefore effectively reversed as a result of NZTA's decision to support the Turver Motorway. And that is even before we total up the cost of maintaining the current State Highway as a local road which has never been in council's long term financial planning.

Now that's unnecessary extravagance!