On the latest summer update from the Local Government News Roundup:
Work begins to replace dangerous cladding on a Council owned building;
Flood damage to Gannawarra’s assets estimated at $50M;
LGNSW takes a stand against new government planning proposals;
A council to develop a policy on fur and leather on Council property;
The Hills Shire responses to impropriety inquiry;
Safer wombat crossings made permanent in Cooma; and much more.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the national broadcaster on all things local government.
Listen to this episode here, and find the link for your podcast player here for any of the 187 episodes to date.
Transcript (with story links):
Hi, this is Chris Eddy, with a roundup of some of the latest stories making news on the Local Government News Roundup – brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the national broadcaster on all things local government.
Work will commence next month on the replacement of aluminium composite panel cladding at the MC Square community facility in the city of Manningham.
The building was identified as the only one owned by the council with combustible cladding in the VBA’s statewide cladding review.
Replacement of the cladding in the 10 year old building will take about a year to complete and will cost around $3.4M. More details here.
Gannawarra Shire Council has estimated preliminary costs to rectify flood damaged council assets at up to $50 million.
Mayor Charlie Gillingham said repair works would start soon after nine contractors were appointed at a special council meeting this week.
The panel of contractors will work on bringing roads, drainage and related assets back to pre-flood standard.
Read the Council’s media release here.
The NSW peak body for councils is opposing a move to take powers to approve or reject large residential housing projects away from local and regional planning panels, and give them to the Minister for Planning.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported this week that LGNSW has questioned state government proposals aimed at increasing the supply of affordable homes.
It is concerned that local amenity may be impacted if councils are excluded or bypassed in the decision making process. Read more here.
The General Manager of the Hills Shire Council has released a statement, responding to the launch of an investigation into allegations of impropriety against agents of the Council and property developers in the region.
Michael Edgar says the news of a Parliamentary Inquiry came as a surprise, and that the Council is unaware of any concerns or inquiries made by either the Minister for Local Government or the Office of Local Government.
He said residents can be confident of the processes and systems in place to appropriately manage development applications, which are determined by qualified staff, local or regional planning panels, and in some cases, the courts.
Mr Edgar said the council will cooperate with the Parliamentary Inquiry and assist in each stage of the process.
You can read Mr Edgar’s full statement here.
A Sydney council is developing a policy on the use of fur and leather after debate on a councillor’s motion at its last meeting of 2022.
North Sydney councillor Georgia Lamb, a Sustainable Australia Party member, raised the motion proposing a ban on the use of fur and leather at Council events or on council property.
As reported today by the Daily Telegraph, a policy will come back to the council for consideration, after debate raised a number of potential far reaching and unintended consequences. Read more here ($)
An extraordinary meeting of Griffith City Council has been called this week to seek approval to fund a plan to mitigate risk of flooding from Lake Wyangan.
A council report says the water level in the lake is at an unprecedented height due to continual rainfall events, and two residential properties and other infrastructure have been flooded as a result.
The council is being asked to approve the reallocation of $1.4M in the current budget to a new Lake Wyangan Flood Pump and Pipeline project. More details here.
The CEO of SA’s City of Burnside Chris Cowley has described a mandated ‘advice’ scheme as a waste of ratepayer money.
Councils are required to submit their financial documents to the Essential Services Commission of SA for review, and to receive advice on their appropriateness for long term sustainability.
Burnside has been charged $45,000 for advice that Mr Cowley says is basic and blatantly obvious.
The new advice scheme came into effect last April and is intended to run for four years. More details from indaily.com.au
A second robbery in recent months at Livingstone Shire Council’s Yeppoon depot has resulted in two vehicles being stolen.
A ute and a truck were taken in the latest burglary, after three council utes were stolen last November.
The Rockhampton Morning Bulletin reports that the two vehicles stolen last week have now been recovered, and police investigations are ongoing into both incidents.
Member for Gippsland Darren Chester is the new federal Shadow Minister for Local Government.
Mr Chester also takes on the portfolios of regional education, regional development and territories, after Andrew Gee quit the Nationals last month.
Snowy Monaro Regional Council’s new wombat crossings at Cooma are set to stay, as temporary line marking will soon be made permanent.
The crossings are located on a stretch of road that is known for having a high number of collisions with wombats. The line markings are an effort to improve road safety and reduce the number of accidents involving wombats in the area..
The council has also installed signs and other road safety measures in the area to further improve safety for both drivers and the wombats. Find out more here.
A 19 yo University of Sunshine Coast student has been appointed as an inaugural member of a UNESCO international think tank.
Ella Woodbourne has been recognised for her work with the Sunshine Coast Biosphere community reference group, and the transitional community advisory group following the official designation as a UNESCO Biosphere.
Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson has congratulated Ella on her achievement, and for her work as a youth voice and proud advocate for positive change. Read more here.
Those are the latest news briefs from the Local Government News Roundup.
You can find the links to read more on those stories on the Roundup website – www.lgnewsroundup.com. Stay subscribed for breaking news over summer on your podcast player. Our regular episodes will return later this month.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the national broadcaster on all things local government
Until next time, thanks for listening.