![\"Wellington](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/4JTC4H5_Andrew_Little_12_02_26_1_2_jpg.jpeg\")
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\nWellington Mayor Andrew Little.
\nPhoto: RNZ \/ Mark Papalii\n<\/p>\n
Selling off Wellington City Council’s cars, slashing consultant and climate budgets and bringing some traffic management in house make up a new report on council spending.<\/p>\n
The revenue and financial working group were set up after the election as a campaign promise from Wellington Mayor Andrew Little and many other councillors to do a line-by-line review of council spending.<\/p>\n
That paper was released on Friday morning and included cutting the council’s climate budget by $1.65 million, reducing its consultant budget by $600,000 and cutting down its vehicle fleet saving $2m.<\/p>\n
Other ideas pitched in the report included bringing some traffic management in house, putting up the fees for disposing asbestos and renting out space in the council’s new office.<\/p>\n
It was hoped the changes would reduce the projected rates increase for this year of 12.7 percent.<\/p>\n
Getting that increase down would be part of the larger work the council would be doing with the creation of its next annual plan.<\/p>\n
Deputy Mayor Ben McNulty told RNZ the group had been working at pace over the past few weeks to produce a report which had made 50 recommendations.<\/p>\n
“They look at ways we think we can identify savings, where the can operate the business of council more efficiently or that there are revenue opportunities.”<\/p>\n
McNulty said 37 recommendations were supported unanimously by the working group and 13 were supported by its majority.<\/p>\n
The recommendations would be taken to the council’s planning and finance committee meeting next week.<\/p>\n
The working group had nine council members Ben McNulty, Rebecca Matthews, Tony Randle, Andrea Compton, Diane Calvert, Ray Chung, Geordie Rogers, Sam O’Brien and Andrew Little.<\/p>\n
McNulty said the group included the whole ideological divide of council.<\/p>\n
“Everyone from Rebecca to Ray which is a very broad cross section and again we have come up with 74 percent of unanimous recommendations.”<\/p>\n
He said there were recommendations he did not support.<\/p>\n
“That is the whole point. Council is not about getting everything you want it is about trying to bring people together.”<\/p>\n
Green Party councillors have put out a statement saying they oppose cuts to the council’s climate programme.<\/p>\n
Councillor Jonny Osborne said it would put the city at greater risk of climate change.<\/p>\n
“We’ve seen the damage climate change-fuelled storms are causing here in P\u014dneke Wellington and elsewhere in the country, often with tragic consequences.”<\/p>\n