Andrew Tripe. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Stop making excuses and come up with a solid plan - that's the advice from Whanganui mayor after the city achieved the lowest rates rise in the country.
Whanganui's average rates increase is 2.2 percent for the year ahead.
Mayor Andrew Tripe said the low figure was the envy of the country - which has had an increase of about 8.7 percent on average.
He told Morning Report the council "went hard and went early".
"Early on in my mayoralty I realised that things were going to get tough... along with my chief executive, I sent him away to put together a five point plan, he came back with a six point plan to find cost savings and efficiency, so we went hard, went early on this - it's no fluke."
Tripe said cutting food scrap collections saved Whanganui 1.5 percent on rates.
"The majority of our community - over 60 percent - said they didn't want the food scraps, they are already doing it anyway. As soon as the government said no I pounced on that and we made a decision to cut the food scrap collection which a lot of people compost and so on already.
"I think that was very, very well received by our community actually, contrary to what one person might being saying."
He said the council had not only kept up all core services, but had increased infrastructure spending by 11 percent compared with last year.
"All we have done is been more efficient with what we've got - doing more with less."
Tripe reiterated that cost saving cuts - apart from a minor change to library opening hours - were not made to council facilities.
He said his advice to other councils was to stop making excuses and come up with a solid plan.
"I've got a saying - no result plus a good excuse equals no result. For me, don't make excuses, get on with it and put a very very solid plan together.
He said the the six-point plan contributed to keeping the rates rise to 2.2 percent this year.
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