Swarbrick’s policy to tackle housing crisis

Auckland’s youngest mayoral candidate has released her plan to combat the city’s housing crisis.

Chloe Swarbrick has released her housing and rates policy that outlines a four step system to ‘‘Bring back to life the Kiwi dream of being able to own a home’’.

The 22-year-old Epsom resident’s four steps are to remove artificial barriers to increase supply, streamline the consenting process, reform rates and increasing council funding.

Currently rates are calculated by combining capital value with fixed charges and ‘‘other rates’’.

Swarbrick states in her policy cal- culating rates this way is problematic as ‘‘it incentivises property as an investment, not as a utility’’.

Swarbrick proposes that rates should rather be calculated on land valuation alone.

She states in her policy this type of calculation ‘‘would ease the burden on those using their land efficiently, by balancing it out and seeing those who are not doing so - those holding the community to ransom - are paying equitably to do so’’.

Swarbrick said the rates reform would work alongside her other policies and vision to bring an end the housing crisis and generate a stable market.

She is standing as an independent in the upcoming October elections.