Council agrees with payments to suppliers being accelerated

At the Council meeting on Thursday, 30 April Councillors agreed to a number of initiatives to assist businesses in response to COVID-19, one of these was the proposal to accelerate payments made to businesses by paying them weekly, rather than the 20^thof the month following the receipt of an invoice.

This direction was reinforced recently by Crown Ministers in a letter to all Councils. In responding to this letter Mayor Andy Watson said that “he was pleased our Council was able to put this in place for those that do business with us. COVID-19 has had a big impact on small to medium businesses and this assistance with cash-flow is a small gesture we can make. I support and encourage this approach being suggested to all Councils across New Zealand. We can help lead the way to unlocking cash-flow to protect jobs and support ongoing business sustainability.”