* Are you aware that Christchurch ratepayers have paid $850,000 a year to support the City Council’s legal services unit comprising eleven staff YET had to pay more than $3,000,000 for additional legal services from a panel of four outside law firms that provided specialist services ‘as and when required’?

* Are you aware that Christchurch ratepayers had to pay $331,704.71 when the Council tried unsuccessfully in court to defend its decision to impose a 24% rent increase on its social housing tenants?

* Are you aware that Christchurch ratepayers are having to pay more than $1,000,000 over the next three years to lease additional floor pace for Council staff outside of the new civic headquarters when we were told the purpose of building the new headquarters was to house all staff under one roof?

* Are you aware that Christchurch ratepayers are having to pay $1,600,000 this year for the City Council’s communications unit and its ten staff – salaries comprise $716,000 of that total?

[Note: The questions above were to be published in our February 2011 Newsletter but on the morning of publication and distribution of the newsletter (3 February 2011) this message was received from the bank which at the time sponsored the newsletter - 'The content is not something [the bank] wishes to be associated with. You can imagine the repercussions from the City Council if they banked with us.' Our Association believes this is a sad commentary on the way some firms perceive how City Council contracts are awarded. You be the judge.]