Councillors Duped Into Thinking $7.7 Million Website Was an App

Councillors Duped Into Thinking $7.7 Million Website Was an App
 
The Taxpayers’ Union is slamming Christchurch City Council after The Press revealed the Council’s MyChristchurch “digital platform” has cost ratepayers $7.7 million, despite councillors initially being led to believe they were funding an app.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Josh Van Veen said:

“Christchurch ratepayers have forked out $7.7 million and ended up with a website. If elected representatives did not know what they were approving, ratepayers deserve to know why.”

“The Council can dress it up as a ‘digital platform’, but that does not explain how this project has cost the equivalent of 1,962 households' worth of rates. At a time when rates are soaring, every dollar blown on bloated IT projects is a dollar not going to core services.”

“This fiasco shows exactly why local government reform is needed. Elected councillors are meant to be in charge, but too often management controls the information and leaves them playing catch-up.”

“Council officials need to come clean on where the money went, why councillors were left in the dark about what was being delivered, and how a website ended up costing ratepayers millions.”

“Ratepayers need a system that gives councillors the power to properly scrutinise spending and stop bureaucrats pulling the wool over the eyes of the people elected to hold them accountable.”