4 Feb 2009

Council funding focus of Beckham match inquiry

4:15 pm on 4 February 2009

The Auditor-General has released the terms of reference for its investigation into Auckland Regional Council's funding of a visit by the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer team.

The council lost money on the exhibition match with the team, which included David Beckham.

Only 16,600 tickets sold for the December match, fewer than the number needed to reach the break-even point.

The Auditor-General will examine the council's funding and support arrangements for the visit, as well as its assessment of risk.

Policies and rules for councils supporting such events will also be looked into.