The Local Government Minister says he makes no apology, after a recent spat with Auckland mayor Wayne Brown.

The Government announced it's moving to ban voting rights for non-elected members of council committees.

Brown's now threatened to pull out of the Auckland Deal, and sent a terse message to Simon Watts - telling him to 'butt out' of the council’s democratic processes.

Watts says democracy is non-negotiable.

"Elected representatives are accountable to their communities, and voting rights should reflect that." 

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