3.2.12 Provision of offices, technology and support staff
The whole organisation supports the governance structure as appropriate. In addition, there is dedicated support provided for the mayor, Governing Body and local boards.
The provision of offices and support staff differs depending on an elected member’s role. The mayor has an office and staff working directly to support their statutory and constituency roles. See Section 4.9: The Office of the Mayor for more information. The Local Government (Auckland Council) Act 2009 sets a minimum level of the council’s overall budget to fund the mayoral office (at least 0.2% of the budget).
Each Governing Body member is provided with an office and office equipment, along with support and politically neutral advice for their governance and constituency roles through the councillor support advisor team.
The support provided for local board members varies. The local board chair will usually be supplied with an office and equipment, while local board members have a shared work space. Support for local board chairs and local board members are provided by each board’s local board services team.
Elected members are also offered an integrated technology solution to help them in their roles and minimise the use of paper [1].
All information on council-supplied technology remains the council’s property and is subject to the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA). Council information held by an elected member on a privately-owned device may still be subject to LGOIMA, depending on the facts. See Section 12: Official Information for more information.
The policy prohibits elected members using council supplied technology for electioneering The technology is also not available for use by an elected member’s family or friends.
Elected members may supply their own technology provided it is compatible with council’s systems and standards. Members can claim an allowance, depending on the personal technology used.
