6PM: Auckland City Council's decision to employ a lesbian researcher to investigate the need for a gay and lesbian community centre in the city has been greeted as "fantastic news."

The initiative, announced last night, follows several approaches made to the council in recent years by the Gay and Lesbian Network, headed up by the city's gay and lesbian community board members. The researcher, Jenny Rankine, will be paid from the Council's Diversity Fund to undertake an initial scoping project.

Gay Western Bays Community Board member Bruce Kilmister says the council's decision to move on the project is "fantastic news, something we have striven for for years."

He believes the funding was secured just prior to the recent local body election which saw a right-wing dominated Council elected and two arch-foes of LGBT initiatives emerge to lead the city, Mayor John Banks and his deputy, David Hay.

"Funding this scoping project shows that the council officers recognise us as equals amongst all of our Auckland communities," says Kilmister. "It shows we are worthy and responsible enough to celebrate our culture and have our needs and wants met in our own premises."

Kilmister says the Council has dozens of community properties on council land for the likes of Scouts and sports groups. "We are equally worthy of being considered for this kind of support as anyone else," he says.