Community groups face tight squeeze under Council budget proposals

Pictured enjoying time at the Men’s Shed in Silverdale are Men’s Shed chair Maurice Browning, left, and Men’s Shed member and Estuary Arts Centre chair, Michael Irwin. Sparks are flying among community groups like theirs over proposals to massively increase charges for Council leases.

Community groups are anxiously checking their leases and crunching their numbers as Auckland Council’s budget proposes to hugely increase the fees charged for its facilities.

The proposed changes to Council’s Community Occupancy Guidelines could see the current ‘peppercorn’ rental of $1 per annum...