17 Feb 2014

Council reassessing big ticket projects

3:28 pm on 17 February 2014

The mayor of Christchurch says the city council is reassessing big ticket rebuild projects signed off by the previous council because the city can't afford some of them.

Lianne Dalziel

Lianne Dalziel Photo: RNZ

Lianne Dalziel has given a 'state of the city' speech, outlining the priorities for her first year as mayor.

Ms Dalziel says the council does not have a complete picture of the financial situation the earthquake-hit city faces and there is a gap in the budget.

She says the current council does not know how big that gap is - and neither did the previous council when it entered into a binding cost-sharing agreement with the Government for rebuild projects.

Ms Dalziel believes that agreement was irresponsible. She says the council is going through big ticket items agreed to by the previous council and double-checking the decisions.

Four months into the role, Ms Dalziel says she does not yet feel the council has forged the partnership with central government that it needs to make real progress. Ms Dalziel took over from Bob Parker.