Mayor Goff: How much longer will these businesses have to wait?

Time is ticking for businesses impacted by City Rail Link construction. One business on Victoria Street has closed this week, and other business owners are distressed and reporting a significant drop in trade.

With no definitive answer on when the project sponsors (Government and Auckland Council) will make a decision on financial relief, Heart of the City has today revealed a billboard, publicly asking Mayor Goff for action. 

Heart of the City Chief Executive Viv Beck says that “Mayor Goff works on the same street as people who are impacted, and has yet to come and meet them.  These are his neighbours and his constituents. While he has said that he supports hardship funding and is talking to Minister Wood, he should be supporting them by getting the help they need right now.”  

“It’s three weeks since businesses gathered on the steps of Auckland Council and there has been no respect shown to these people.  The issues are longstanding and there is no excuse for this delay in making a decision on support for them.  We’ve seen a business close in the last week, people are ill from the stress... what else needs to happen for a decision to be made?”

A photo of the billboard, placed on the corner of Queen and Wyndham Street, is below.