Another steep rise on the cards for Wellington ratepayers

PHOTO: Houses in Wellington (file image). (Source: istock.com)

Greater Wellington Regional Council wants to increase rates by nearly 18 percent.

The 17.8 percent rise amounts to about $100 more a year to the average residential ratepayer.

It comes as homeowners already face a 12 percent rates hike levied by the Wellington City Council.

Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) chair Daran Ponter said the regional council was facing significant economic headwinds due to supply-chain issues, labour shortages, inflation, and rising interest rates.

He said the rates increase was disappointing, given it had initially hoped to keep the rise to 14 percent.

Wellington house prices continue to drop

Ponter said councillors decided it was best for the region not to cut back key services.

He said it was also not an option to delay building flood defences for vulnerable communities, work to adapt to climate change, or wage increases for bus drivers.

GWRC work planned for the next year includes further decarbonisation of the bus fleet and updating real-time public transport information systems; flood warning and response improvements; riparian river planting of 25 hectares with 67,000 natives; restorative planting in eight regional parks with 415,000 natives.

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