On today’s episode, updates on how councillors are faring in counting for the Victorian upper house; new mayoral election results, and a long term mayor flags his departure; former Logan CEO Sharon Kelsey wins the right to appeal costs awarded against her; an inquiry into integrity at a Sydney Council; and a drastic plan to address financial sustainability in Queanbeyan-Palerang.
Listen to this episode here, and find the link for your podcast player here for any of the 176 episodes so far. Scroll down for the transcript for episode 176 with story links.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association,the national broadcaster on all things local government; and by Technology One’s 2022 Local Government Digital Transformation Index – download the new report now to find out how your council shapes up.
Transcript (with story links):
Hello and welcome to the Local Government News Roundup. This is your update for the 30th November. I’m Chris Eddy.
Today, updates on how councillors are faring in counting for the Victorian upper house; new mayoral election results, and a long term mayor flags his departure; former Logan CEO Sharon Kelsey wins the right to appeal costs awarded against her; an inquiry into integrity at a Sydney Council; and a drastic plan to address financial sustainability in Queanbeyan-Palerang.
That’s all ahead on the Local Government News Roundup, brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the national broadcaster on all things local government; and by Technology One’s 2022 Local Government Digital Transformation Index – new report out now.
First up today,
As many as five current councillors could take a spot in Victoria’s upper house, as counting continues following the weekend’s election.
In the latest counting update, Port Phillip Councillor and Greens candidate Katharine Copsey is sitting in the fourth of five positions for the Southern Metropolitan region.
Brimbank Councillor and Liberal candidate Trung Luu is holding on to the fifth position in the Western Metropolitan Region.
Another Liberal candidate Joe McCracken, a councillor at Colac Otway Shire, is holding the fourth position in the Western Victoria region count.
Greens candidate and Greater Geelong Councillor Sarah Mansfield has slipped out of fifth position in Western Victoria in the latest count, which sits at 70.65% according to the ABC.
Melton Councillor Moira Deeming is certain to take a position in the Western Metropolitan Region for the Liberal Party, currently sitting in the second elected position with just over half of the vote counted.
In the lower house seat of Hastings, Mornington Peninsula Shire councillor Paul Mercurio holds a 557 vote lead with almost 80% of the vote counted. That remains too close to call.
And a strong performance from independent candidate Gaetano Greco in Preston has been one of the surprises of the election. As of this morning, the ABC has the seat as a likely hold for the ALP, with their candidate ahead based on preference estimates.
Meanwhile, mayoral elections have continued, and here are the results that have come in since our last episode.
At Yarra City Council there is a new mayor, with the election of independent councillor Claudia Nguyen to the position for 12 months.
Outgoing mayor Sophie Ward said Cr Nguyen would bring valuable perspectives to the role as a young, queer woman of colour.
Edward Crossland was re-elected as Deputy Mayor.
Angelica Panopoulos has been elected as the new mayor of Merri-bek City Council. The first term councillor becomes the youngest ever mayor for that council.
Former mayor and three term councillor Helen Davidson was elected Deputy Mayor for the next 12 months.
And at Wangaratta Rural City Council last night, Cr Dean Rees was elected unopposed to the mayoralty, for a fifth consecutive term.
The Deputy Mayor will again be Harry Bussell, also elected unopposed for a further term.
According to the Border Mail this morning, Cr Rees has indicated he will stand down from council at the end of the current council term in 2024. He has flagged a desire to hold the mayoralty until then, which would make six consecutive terms in the position.
Five councils are yet to elect a mayor for the forthcoming term. Boroondara, Latrobe and Wodonga have deferred their elections to the coming weeks, while Darebin and Moorabool are due to hold mayoral elections tonight.
Keep an eye on the Local Government News Roundup website for the latest updates as they come to hand.
Flags were flying at half mast in Moyne Shire this week, with the passing of former mayor and councillor Mick Wolfe.
First elected to the Council in 2009, Mr Wolfe served until the 2020 election, including as mayor in 2018 and 2019.
Vale Mick Wolfe.
The City of Greater Geelong is set to sell four landholdings to raise funds for new community assets, and to repay and reduce future borrowings.
One of the properties, a 4,000 square metre car park in the city’s CBD will be auctioned next month, in a sale that is expected to attract strong interest from the commercial property sector.
In recent years, the city has raised $32M from the sale of surplus assets, including the Old Geelong Gaol and the Old Geelong Post Office.
Glen Eira City Council has partnered with app provider Snap Send Solve on an innovative technology project to improve how residents report issues to the council.
The introduction of QR codes means residents can report issues without needing to download the app.
Mayor Jim Magee said the council hopes the innovation will lead to more people reporting issues.
He said research from Snap Send Solve shows that while 74 per cent of people notice issues in their local communities, only 31 per cent actually report them.
Coming Up: former Logan CEO Sharon Kelsey wins the right to appeal costs awarded against her; an inquiry into integrity at a Sydney Council; and a drastic plan to address financial sustainability in Queanbeyan-Palerang.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the national broadcaster on all things local government.
Once more in 2022, the VLGA will team with LGIU to bring you an insightful Global Executive Panel – bringing together leaders from Australia and the UK, this time to discuss the unique challenges being faced by rural and coastal shires.
Confirmed panellists include Malcolm Burr, the CEO of Western Isles Council in Scotland, and John Baker, CEO from Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula Shire Council; Niall Healy – Director of Municipal Districts and Rural Operations at Ireland’s Cork County Council; and Sabina Rahman-Horstmann, coastal planning and management engineer from WA’s City of Cockburn.
Make sure you don’t miss your chance to be part of the conversation. It’s happening online at 6.30pm on Thursday 1st December.
It’s free for VLGA and LGIU members, and a small fee applies for non-members.
You can find out more, including registration details, on the VLGA website – link in the show notes.
Now in today’s National Roundup:
The former CEO of Logan City Council, Sharon Kelsey, has won the right to appeal the ruling that awarded costs against her following the wrongful dismissal case that she lost earlier in the year.
According to a report in the Albert and Logan News, the Supreme Court of Queensland ruled on Friday that Ms Kelsey had the right to apply for a review of the cost payments of her appeal.
The court ruled that Logan Council and the seven former councillors must pay for Ms Kelsey’s appeal costs; and found that the Qld Industrial Relations Commission decision to dismiss her appeal failed to adequately consider the whole of the evidence.
(Albert and Logan News, 29/11/22 $$)
NSW Minister for Local Government Wendy Tuckerman has referred allegations of impropriety at Canterbury Bankstown Council to a parliamentary inquiry.
The Standing Committee on State Development has received terms of reference from the Minister, tasking it with inquiring into and reporting on matters relating to integrity, processes of Council, employees and elected officials of Council, and any other related matter.
The inquiry applies to the current City of Canterbury Bankstown and the former City of Bankstown Council.
It’s understood that public hearings into the matter will be held during the week of 12th December.
In Adelaide, the new Council has elected Phillip Martin unanimously to the position of Deputy Lord Mayor.
The Adelaide Advertiser reports ($$) that Cr Martin was elected to the role at last night’s Council meeting, the first for the new term, under the leadership of new Lord Mayor Dr Jane Lomax-Smith.
The new 12 member council, with five returning councillors was officially sworn in last Thursday.
Queanbeyan-Palerang Council has opened consultation on various rate increase scenarios, the most extreme of which would see an increase of 97% over three years.
Mayor Kenrick Winchester recently announced that the council was preparing an updated long term financial plan to include scenarios to address the council’s financial sustainability issues.
This week, the council released three scenarios for community input. The first is to significantly reduce services, and increase rates by 12% each year for three years; under scenario two, rates would increase by 18% per annum for three years, coupled with a reduction in some services; a third scenario envisages the maintaining of services and rate increases of 28%, 25% and 23% over the next three years respectively.
At Eurobodalla Shire Council, a unanimous vote from councillors will permit homeless people to exceed the legal stay limit in council owned campgrounds.
The Eurobodalla Shire Independent reports that the regulation limiting occupation of a movable dwelling in a campground to 50 days will not be enforced.
It’s estimated more than 60 people have lived in tents and caravans for more than the 50 night limit due to a lack of affordable housing alternatives.
The council will continue advocacy to state and federal government about the lack of low cost and emergency housing in the shire.
(Eurobodalla Shire Independent, 30/11/22 $$)
In Western Australia, a tourism bureau has been closed by the local council after a spate of vandalism, burglaries and violence against staff.
The ABC reports that the Shire of Derby West Kimberley has closed the Fitzroy Crossing Visitor Centre, amid concerns that the council cannot provide a safe workplace
Plans to introduce security guards, electronic locks and duress alarms have been determined to be too costly.
The shire is looking at other operating models, and asking users to book appointments or go online to access information.
The term on everyone’s lips these days is ‘digital transformation’ – so, how does your council shape up?
TechnologyOne’s 2022 Local Government Digital Transformation Index measures SaaS migration in councils today. The report’s findings come from a survey of local government leaders across Australia and New Zealand in 2022. And it shows where digital transformation is sitting in the local government sector, where it is heading and identifies some of the sticking points that need to be overcome.
The report also outlines the characteristics of best-in-class councils, so you can learn from others in the sector and use their experience to transform your council into the best digitised version of itself – for you, your people and your community.
To find out what it means for your council, download your free copy of the report from the link in the show notes.
Now to today’s International Spotlight, highlighting some stories of interest from beyond our borders..
In the UK, further action will not be taken against a council after action taken to address problems identified in a report earlier in the year.
Middlesbrough Council was subject to a review by auditors from EY, after the report found a pervasive lack of trust among elected members and staff; as well as unlawful employment of an adviser and wrongful payments to a publicity firm.
The BBC reports that the auditors have found appropriate actions have been taken to address the problems, and that the council’s progress would continue to be monitored.
Newcastle City Council in the UK has been forced to adjust a plan to combat anti-social behaviour after failing to attract sufficient interest to fill 15 advertised warden positions.
According to the BBC, the roles were created to patrol trouble hotspots, but a lack of applications has led to an attempt to make them seem more exciting.
The council has also increased the salary for positions to nearly 23,000 pounds.
The introduction of the wardens is part of a 1.5M pound investment by the council in combating increasing anti-social behaviour in the city.
And from New Zealand, new details have emerged about the departure earlier this year of the CEO of a ratepayer owned company in Christchurch.
According to stuff.co.nz, over 130 pages of emails have been released revealing that Tim Boyd went on leave less than 4 months after starting in the $430,000 a year position.
Mr Boyd resigned his position in September, just prior to revelations in the media that he was wanted in Arizona on unresolved drink driving charges from 2018, and that he had been ordered to pay millions of dollars in damages as part of civil lawsuits in the US.
He has since said he will be taking legal action to clear his name.
That’s the latest from the Local Government News Roundup.
You can find more information at our website – lgnewsroundup.com – including our regularly updated list of Victorian mayoral election results and CEO appointment news.
I hope you can join us again soon for more from the Local Government News Roundup, brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the national broadcaster on all things local government; and Technology One’s 2022 Local Government Digital Transformation Index – download your free copy now.
Until then, thanks for listening and bye for now.