On an all-new edition of the Local Government News Roundup for 12th July 2023,
Councillors moved to tears over a move to evict people living on an industrial estate;
Wellington Shire vows to hold nothing back in its fight over a native timber industry shutdown;
A word of warning for the government about taking over council planning laws;
Council and community partnerships delivering results;
A Sydney council’s staff protest a forced end to hybrid working arrangements;
Tasmania’s proposed council mergers labelled “an appalling process”
And much more ahead in the latest update from the Local Government News Roundup.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the national broadcaster on all things local government.
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Transcript (with story links where available):
Episode 239 LG News Roundup, 12th July 2023
An unusually emotional meeting, and an absolutely appalling process
Hi, this is Chris Eddy, coming to you from the land of the Wadawurrung People with the latest from the Local Government News Roundup.
On the podcast today:
Councillors moved to tears over a move to evict people living on an industrial estate;
Wellington Shire vows to hold nothing back in its fight over a native timber industry shutdown;
A word of warning for the government about taking over council planning laws;
Council and community partnerships delivering results;
A Sydney council’s staff protest a forced end to hybrid working arrangements;
Tasmania’s proposed council mergers labelled “an appalling process”
And much more ahead in the latest update from the Local Government News Roundup.
Thanks for joining me for today’s podcast – brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association.
Here are some of the Victorian council related stories making news in recent days.
Action taken by Hobsons Bay City Council to enforce zoning rules has attracted media attention this week, with reports from The Age and A Current Affair highlighting the concerns of residents facing eviction from their homes.
Units in Techno Park Drive, Williamstown North, are situated in an industrial estate, which for more than 30 years has been zoned as industrial, with residential use prohibited.
The council says it has received complaints from Worksafe, the EPA and Mobil about the ongoing residential use, which alerted it to the scale of the residential use of the estate which is near a major hazard facility.
This has prompted it to take action to begin enforcing the planning rules.
The Age reports that a petition with 600 signatures was presented at a council meeting last night, describing the mass eviction during a housing crisis as “heartless, bureaucratic, arbitrary and wrong.”
It describes the meeting as “unusually emotional” as some councillors became visibly upset over the issue, calling for state intervention for a potential rezoning of the land.
The Age 11-7-23; A Current Affair; The Age 12-7-23
Wellington Shire Council has vowed to “hold nothing back” as it seeks answers from the government on the accelerated shutdown of native timber harvesting.
Councillors have been to Canberra to seek answers from the Prime Minister, but have received no promise of financial support for local communities.
The Council says it will continue the tough conversations with the Victorian Government, accepting nothing less than direct investment in Heyfield and Yarram, towns that are full of timber workers and families who rely on the industry.
Mayor Ian Bye said it is frustrating that Council is still being ignored, even after countless FoI requests seeking the evidence to support the fast track decision.
He said the Council will continue to ask questions about when the people most affected will experience the benefit of the promised $200M in transition support.
The peak body for councils in Victoria has sounded a word of caution to the government against taking control of planning laws as a solution to the state’s housing crisis.
The MAV has highlighted a shortage of town planners at all levels of government and suggested alternative measures to streamline planning approvals.
These include introducing consistent heritage protections, implementing a statewide online application system, and shortening the statutory timeframe for decision-making.
In a report by the Guardian, the president of the MAV, David Clark, emphasised the need for investment in town planners, and said there is no evidence the government would handle the growing volume and complexity of applications any faster or better.
A countback has been conducted this morning to fill an extraordinary vacancy on Strathbogie Shire Council.
This follows the recent resignation of David Andrews from the council.
There were just two remaining eligible candidates from the 2020 election, and the successful candidate was Paul Ayton over former councillor Robyn Weatherald.
Mr Ayton will have 48 hours to complete eligibility declarations and to accept the position on the council.
A trial to improve the customer experience at the City of Ballarat is being implemented through a partnership with the reporting app, Snap Send Solve.
The council has employed a dedicated officer who will review and communicate with customers about the reports that they lodge.
Customers will receive a summary of actions taken and be given the opportunity to rate their experience.
Mayor Des Hudson said the trial is one of a number of initiatives aimed an enhancing customer experiences,
The partnership with Snap Send Solve has been underway since October last year.
At Greater Bendigo, a council partnership with three organisations has enabled the Bendigo Repair Cafe and the Bendigo Share and Repair Shed to move into new permanent premises.
The new venture launches this month, and there are plans to expand the services offered to include a tool library and a range of other recycling services.
It’s part of the city’s work to create a Circular Greater Bendigo, shifting how resources are consumed and materials at the end of their life are valued and cycled back into new products.
Baw Baw Shire Council has installed an intelligent local sensing network across the shire, which will deliver 24 hour monitoring of environmental conditions and enhance community safety.
The network comprises 7 state of the art sensors installed at strategic locations to detect hot spots, changes in temperature, wind and other factors to provide early warning for events such as bushfires and floods.
It’s a partnership project between the council and local emergency services, with support from Emergency Management Victoria and the technology provider Attentis.
The information provided by the network can be accessed online by anyone in real time at www.bawbaw.network
Now in today’s Victorian Briefs:
A world-class running festival is coming to Ballarat next year.
The Ballarat Marathon in April 2024 will feature a mile, 5km, 10km, half marathon and marathon over the weekend of April 27 and 28.
The festival will be used to build excitement in the city ahead of the Commonwealth Games athletics in 2026.
Local clubs are enjoying new facilities in Maroondah’s sporting precincts with four recent formal openings.
A new double-storey, female friendly pavilion and cricket nets at JW Manson Reserve in Wantirna was opened by Mayor Rob Steane, alongside Minister for Community Sport Ros Spence and Member for Bayswater Jackson Taylor.
The council has also completed new LED lighting at East Ringwood Reserve and a redevelopment of the Town Park sportsfield; and the Maroondah Edge indoor cricket training centre.
An educational campaign to improve essential safety measures in commercial, industrial and public buildings is being launched by East Gippsland Shire Council.
The campaign coincides with the start of audits of selected buildings in Lake Entrance and Bairnsdale, focusing on commercial spaces that offer services to the public.
The Council says the key objective of the campaign is to foster awareness among property and business owners about the importance of consistent and timely maintenance of essential safety services in buildings.
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Now for some of the stories making local government news from around Australia this week.
NSW
Staff at a Sydney council are protesting against a decision to end flexible working arrangements and require employees to return to the office five days a week.
Randwick City Council wants staff back in the office by September 11, arguing that it will lead to more collaboration, learning opportunities, coaching, development, and better customer service.
However, council employees believe this decision will negatively impact morale, well-being, and lead to staff departures, particularly affecting women who typically bear the majority of carer responsibilities.
According to Sydney Morning Herald, the council’s move has blindsided staff, who question whether there is evidence to support the impact of hybrid work on productivity, customer service, and job satisfaction.
The decision has been criticised as rushed, disrespectful, and out of step with contemporary workforce practices.
Some employees have expressed their intention to look for employment elsewhere if the mandate is implemented.
Other local councils in Sydney, such as the City of Sydney, Northern Beaches, and City of Parramatta, maintain hybrid work arrangements.
Motorists and business owners in the City of Sydney have come out against a move by the council to introduce a petrol tax on CBD drivers.
SkyNews has reported on the opposition to the plan endorsed by Lord Mayor Clover Moore and councillors as part of efforts to achieve net zero emissions.
The council has developed a transport strategy which is seeking state government support for a low emissions zone which would give electric vehicles priority on the roads in the city.
Meanwhile, the city is calling for community feedback on a state government plan to develop the Oxford Street east cycleway.
The plan to make the busy route for cyclists safer comes as the council gets ready to start work on the Oxford Street west project.
The Tweed Shire Council and the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) are urging residents and businesses to be on the lookout for red fire ants.
These invasive ants were recently discovered at Mermaid Waters on the Gold Coast, just 11.5 km north of the Queensland border. The NSW Government has allocated an additional $80 million to protect the state from this aggressive pest.
Fire ants can cause serious harm to the environment and the economy.
The NSW DPI is conducting an extensive awareness campaign, including meetings with Tweed Shire Council’s staff and councillors, as well as a mailout to all Tweed households.
The council’s pest management team is working closely with the NSW DPI and Queensland authorities to run fire ant surveillance programs and prepare for a response if fire ants are found in the area.
Fire ants can spread up to 5 km by flying and can be transported in nesting material.
The Mayor of Waverley has proposed a mayoral forum on the housing crisis, and is calling on Premier Chris Minns to attend.
Mayor Paula Masselos believes a forum of mayors, with the Premier’s involvement, will help to come up with solutions for local challenges and wider infrastructure issues.
She said the Premier’s goal to increase affordable housing stock is a goal many councils share, and it’s important that there be a focus on how councils can be supported to provide long-term housing stock
The mayor of Gunnedah Shire Council has reacted with shock and disappointment after being briefed on a revised scope and design for a new hospital in the shire.
Cr Jamie Chaffey said the councillors are absolutely appalled by the backpedalling on what has been promised to the Gunnedah community.
He said the revised scope is missing a promised infusion unit; theatre and day surgery; and medical imaging; and there is no mention of the committed 48 beds.
Cr Chaffey has written to the Minister for Health to request an intervention to ensure the hospital delivers everything that has been promised.
QLD
In Toowoomba, amid the tributes to retiring mayor Paul Antonio who steps down next week, the contenders to take over the mayoralty are emerging.
The Chronicle reports that Councillors Geoff McDonald and Carol Taylor would accept nominations for the role, which will go to a vote of Councillors at a special meeting on the 21st July.
Cr McDonald is the current deputy, and will be Acting Mayor for the special meeting.
If he is successful in becoming mayor, there will also need to be a vote for a new deputy.
Cr Taylor has also held the deputy mayoral position in the recent past.
TAS
Some Tasmanian councils are getting set to fight back against merger proposals, with one mayor describing the process as appalling.
Dorset Mayor Greg Howard told the Launceston Examiner that the council would make a submission opposing all three proposed merger scenarios, one of which would see a supercouncil formed with Break O Day and Flinders councils.
He said he would grade the process as a “one out of ten.”
At Central Highlands Council, Mayor Loueen Triffett said her rural municipality would be worse off if merged with other areas, and that she expected a commitment to no forced amalgamations by the former Premier to be honoured.
She said the review process lacks transparency, and the timelines are incredibly frustrating.
Tasman and Northern Midlands councils are also opposed to being swallowed up in ‘super councils’ and fear a loss of community representation under the scenarios that have been proposed.
The concerns of local mayors have been backed by the Australian Services Union, which said this week the process is biased and flawed and should be restarted.
The union said entire councils have been unrepresented in the process, and individual workers have been effectively blocked from making their cases.
According to a report from the Advocate, the union has called on the Parliament to reassess the approach of the Local Government Board, and at least, recommence the consultation process.
Hobart Mercury 10-7-23; Burnie Advocate, 10-7-23
Briefly:
Usage of the new Northern Rivers Trail has significantly exceeded expectations.
Tweed Shire says more than 70,000 have used the trail since it opened four months ago.
Mayor Chris Cherry said counters had revealed numbers which have absolutely smashed the business case goal of 27,000 per year, and 9,000 in its first four months.
Griffith and Canterbury-Bankstown councils in NSW have been chosen to trial new AI technology for monitoring road conditions.
Dashboard mounted cameras in street sweepers will be linked to a machine-learning program to identify and predict such things as damaged signage, faded line markings and potholes.
The Griffith Area News reports that if the trial is successful, the technology could be rolled out as soon as next year.
Griffith Area News, 12-7-23
A new report from the OECD on democratic governance has shown Australians have more trust in local government than the national government, but the level of trust is lagging the OECD average.
43% of respondents have high or moderately high trust in the sector, compared to an OECD average of 47%;
Now for today’s International Spotlight:
CANADA:
As many as 13 chief administrative officers have been fired, resigned or retired in the last six months in British Columbia province.
CBC has reported on a growing trend of a city’s top bureaucrat being fired or resigning due to a hostile dynamic with a new mayor and council.
It’s estimated that up to $20M has been spent in the last seven years on getting rid of CAOs or fighting wrongful dismissal lawsuits.
In the latest example, the CAO of North Saanich council has been offered $300,000 to leave his post after conflicts with the new mayor and council.
USA
In Georgia, a sitting mayor has been charged with burglary and criminal trespassing this week.
South Fulton Mayor Khalid Kamau has been released on bond and ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation.
NBC News reports the charges will lead to Mayor Kamau being temporarily replaced by one of five City Council members who have taken legal action against him.
All but two members of the council are party to a suit to have the mayor removed from office, over allegations that he has knowingly disclosed confidential information and recorded confidential executive sessions.
UK
Plans to reduce service levels in Wokingham Borough Council have met with mixed reactions.
The BBC reports the council is planning to reduce the frequency of public bin collections and decrease the number of times grass verges are cut in an effort to save £700,000 from its budget.
The council cites financial pressures caused by high inflation, increased demand, and low government funding as the reasons for these cuts.
Under the plans, bins that are less frequently used will be emptied once a week instead of twice, and the number of times grass verges will be cut will be reduced from six to four times a year.
The council urges residents to take their rubbish home if they find bins too full. The council warns that failure to make these savings could result in major service cuts and increases in council tax.
Some of the borough’s councillors don’t support the cuts. A Labour deputy leader says they are out of step with the mood of the borough, and that no councils have gone bankrupt because of too much grass cutting.
EUROPE
Amsterdam is making progress towards constructing the first residential area in the Netherlands that will be predominantly made of wood.
The neighbourhood, currently referred to as Nelson Mandelabuurt, is planned to be located on the outskirts of Nelson Mandela Park in Amsterdam’s southeast.
The sustainable neighbourhood is expected to consist of 725 homes, along with schools, shops, and social and cultural facilities.
Approximately 40 percent of the homes will be available for rent, with 40 percent designated as social housing, 40 percent as middle segment housing, and 20 percent as free sector housing.
The project is expected to be completed by 2026.
NZ
And from New Zealand, there’s been a second data breach at Wellington City Council.
The NZ Herald reports that the council published the names, IP addresses and accessibility needs of people who made submissions on a traffic plan.
This follows an earlier breach in which the personal details of more than 4,000 people involved in road crashes were inadvertently released.
Independent reviewers have been called in to investigate the first breach, and to look at how and why the council overstated the benefits of reducing speed limits in the city by more than $250M.
A council spokesman described the latest breach as “regrettable,” while one of the city’s councillors has told the press that she learned of the breach from a member of the public.
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That’s the latest from the Roundup for the 12th July 2023.
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The Local Government News Roundup is recorded in the city of Greater Geelong, Victoria, on the land of the Wadawurrung People of the Kulin Nation.
I’ll be back soon with more of the latest local government news. Until next time, thanks for listening, and bye for now.