In March Auckland Council consulted with the community on their “Recovery Budget”, the proposed Long Term Plan for 2021-31.
The Local Boards had the opportunity in the consultation document to advocate for their Key Priorities and it’s heartening to see that allocating funds to the upgrading of the Leys Institute was one of the top priorities for the Waitemata Local Board. Local Board Chair Richard Northey has asked for the community to make submissions for funds for the Leys buildings, in his Board reports and in his Ponsonby News reports.
Friends of Leys Institute members, (now numbering 207), have been given strong encouragement and information to make a submission, and we know from our feedback that many had done so by the March 22 deadline.
Friends of Leys Institute also participated in an online hearings event, held by the Local Board on 9 March, to hear from community groups with their requests for the Long Term Plan.
In the council consultation document there is a statement that it would like to be able to spend money on upgrading heritage buildings. Under the Parks and Community section on page 24 it says, “we could…undertake some seismic strengthening of community facilities.” The Leys Institute certainly fits this criteria.
We wait in hope for the final Long Term Plan to allocate funding for the Leys Institute and to return our much loved heritage buildings, facilities and library services back to us.
If you would like to join Friends of Leys Institute you can contact Co-ordinator Helen Geary at heleng@maxnet.co.nz, or 021 208 7490.