Canterbury Mornings

Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb has expressed his “profound disappointment that council is taking an approach of austerity.”The Christchurch City Council is proposing to increase rates by an average of 3.5 percent, but Mr Webb says it should be more.He says the role of government in times of crisis is not belt tightening and knee-jerk alarmism leading to economic and social contraction and decay.He says the rates base should not be reduced.City Councillor Sam MacDonald spoke to Chris Lynch and says this completely out of touch from where the city is at.Listen above.