NO TICKETS FOR YOU

BEATTIE TELLS COUNCIL TO GIVE THEM BACK

AN irate Peter Beattie says a leaked email about councillors receiving ratepayer-funded Games tickets was an “act of bastardry” designed to undermine veteran council boss Dale Dickson.

However Mayor Tom Tate late yesterday said he was unsure what the Games chair was referring to.

For a second consecutive day Mr Beattie hit out at “stupid games” and “political nonsense” that he believes led to media reports about Mr Dickson “gifting” 800 Games tickets to elected councillors.

He also called on councillors to not use such tickets unless on official business at the Games.

“Clearly there was an act of bastardry here designed to undermine the CEO,” Mr Beattie said of Mr Dickson, who was expected to be reappointed to his role in December before councillors were last month told to consider “potential city leadership renewal”.

“What caused all this is there’s a brawl going on with the council about the reappointment of the CEO … someone decided to embarrass him, to undermine him and to leak the email that he sent (to councillors about the tickets).

“Those sort of stupid games have got no place in the Games at all – none.”

Asked to respond to Mr Beattie’s claims about council infighting, Mr Tate said in a one-line statement: “I’m unsure what the chair is referring to.”

When asked about Mr Dickson’s decision to “procure” tickets on behalf of councillors, he said: “That was an operational decision.”

Mr Beattie said councillors needed to use common sense when deciding if they were entitled to ratepayer-funded tickets.

“If there is an inbound trade delegation (at the Games) – for example a Minister of Trade turns up here from India – you would be expecting the Mayor or Deputy Mayor to be hosting that person,” he said.

“That makes common sense because that’s business for the Coast.

“I don’t have an issue with that but if somebody is just a councillor who has nothing to do with the Games, I’d be stunned if they would accept the tickets.

“They have to be accountable to the community and I think the community is saying very clearly ‘Return the tickets to the pool or give them to someone who is homeless, some young kids to inspire them or someone in the community who’s made a sacrifice’.

“Frankly this has all been pretty badly handled but not by us.”

Mr Tate said ticket use was up to individual councillors and he would not accept any free tickets to the Games.