Vic Crone – 
Council Controlled Organisations (CCOs) are failing to provide Aucklanders value for money. A lack of unison, efficiency and duplication of activities amongst the CCOs, means our city is unable to reach its true potential.
It is time we started taking back control of the six CCOs, namely Watercare, Auckland Transport, Panuku Development Auckland, Auckland Council Investments, Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) and Regional Facilities Auckland.
Promise undelivered
We are far from the efficient Super City that we were promised six years ago and much of that has to do with the way our CCOs are operating.
On top of this, there are increasing concerns about the performance and accountability of the organisations, specifically not working well together and not being run with the productivity of a business.
For example, from what I have seen, there are a number of ATEED functions duplicating activities in other council organisations such as the innovation unit.
The last thing Aucklanders want is their rates funding inefficiency.
Therefore, we need to do a better job at organising the activities of the core CCOs, which make up 50% of Council’s annual operating budget ($3.48 million).
Action needed
We cannot elect a Mayor who will champion the status quo.
We need a visionary leader who is able to drive efficiencies within the CCOs, reduce the duplication of resources and activities and ensure the organisations work effectively together toward aligned goals.
To guarantee Council is delivering the world class outcomes that Auckland deserves, the CCOs need to be judged on a world class scale.
As Mayor, I will be working with Councillors on the Accountability and Performance Committee and will introduce stronger, more ambitious targets for CCOs that will be benchmarked against international standards. We need to see a lift in performance.
Taking it Local
At the moment, there is a growing disconnection between CCOs, Council, elected members and Aucklanders, Local boards are also increasingly being tagged as an afterthought by many CCOs.
As a result, Aucklanders are frustrated with how their communities are developing.
It is important that we put neighbourhood development back in the hands of communities where it belongs.
Local boards know their communities and are answerable to the public for CCO activities. This needs to be reflected in the way CCOs undertake crucial local decisions.
Auckland has the potential to be a world class city but we need strong, fresh leadership to pave the way.
Vic Crone is a candidate for Auckland Mayoralty. Related stories appear under Homelink.
