Darwin council leads China and Vietnam delegation after rate rise

Key points

• Darwin City Council will lead a trade delegation to Guangzhou in China and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam in December. Lord mayor Peter Styles will lead the mission, which will cost about $18,000 in ratepayer funding.
• Council general manager Alice Percy said the trip could bring about $250,000 a year into the local economy. The council raised rates by 5.5 per cent earlier this year and postponed its pre-cyclone clean-up.
• A former lord mayor and local residents questioned whether the trip was a good use of money.