Advocate loses payment claim

A former advocate for the Horowhenua mayor tried to charge his district council $15,000 for research work it never asked her to do.

Christine Toms invoiced the council earlier this year for ‘‘professional writing services and expertise’’ from 2015-2016, which was authorised by mayor Michael Feyen, who was then a councillor, and Cr Ross Campbell at the time.

Both Feyen and Campbell are elected, with no authority to employ people on behalf of the council.

Toms’ invoice was not paid, and the dealings were revealed in a Disputes Tribunal decision issued this week. An application from Toms against the council was struck out.

The tribunal found no evidence of any agreement that the council would meet the costs of Toms’ services, and that she appeared to accept this.

She would have needed to argue that the council should be responsible for paying her, as opposed to Feyen and Campbell.

Toms’ research work concerned recorded damage to the council building.

Feyen has long challenged its safety, believing it to be at high risk of collapse in an earthquake.

He refused to enter the building when he was elected mayor in 2016 and paid for additional engineering reports himself.

Toms argued that one of these reports, by Structural Concepts, was supported by her research and writing, and then used by the council.

The decision did not detail how much money Toms was seeking.

Feyen’s own Disputes Tribunal claim to be reimbursed for these building reports was struck out for similar reasons last week.

In an emailed statement, Toms said the outcome was predictable and called the council’s evidence ‘‘less than credible’’.

Council chief executive David Clapperton could not be reached for comment.

Cr Piri-hira Tukupua, who in 2017 took issue with Toms signing off an email on behalf of Feyen when she was acting as his advocate, said dealing with the two claims had been a waste of council officers’ time.