On the Local Government News Roundup for 17th January 2024,
A new councillor elected at Frankston;
A mayor speaks out about media reporting of Australia Day citizenship ceremonies;
The City of Melbourne ordered to hand over documents;
Anger over the removal of a flag from a councillor’s office at the City of Sydney;
Contamination scares with the discovery of asbestos in public places in inner Sydney and a legal concern for a Queensland council;
A mayor cleared of a long running conduct complaint;
And complaints about council budget cuts in the UK.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the national broadcaster on all things local government; with support from Davidson, the nationally recognised executive recruitment service and business advisory practice.
Listen to this episode here, and find the link for your podcast player here.
Transcript for episode 294:
Former Frankston mayor Glenn Aitken is back as a councillor following a countback on Monday.
The countback process followed the resignation of Steven Hughes from the council in December.
The VEC declared the countback result at 3.30pm on Tuesday, 16th January.
Victoria’s information watchdog, the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner, has directed the City of Melbourne to disclose over 700 pages of documents, including polling data, emails, and briefs, which were produced by the RedBridge Group, a prominent political lobbying firm in Victoria.
As reported by The Australian, the City of Melbourne had argued that the 101 documents in question should remain confidential due to their sensitivity and potential to incite “spurious and captious” debate.
However, Acting Information Commissioner Joanne Kummrow rejected this claim, stating that transparency in the agency’s consultative and decision-making processes could enhance public trust.
The council is appealing the decision to the VCAT.
Another mayor has expressed concern over misleading media reports about Councils and citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day, which had prompted calls from people expressing their disappointment.
Brett Ireland, the mayor of Hindmarsh, said his council has never held a ceremony on 26th January for practical reasons, yet media reports claimed it had chosen not to do so as part of a Council “war on Oz Day”.
Cr Ireland said the council holds ceremonies on demand at numerous times during the year, and the council has never even discussed the idea of not having them on 26th January.
He described the reporting as “an easy grab to run an agenda against Australia Day” and that it was not factual.
The Watercraft Removal Program, an initiative by the Mornington Peninsula Shire, is continuing efforts to remove derelict and unauthorised watercraft from the foreshore.
The program, which began last year, has already resulted in the removal of over 200 kayaks, dinghies, and other vessels illegally stored on Crown land in Rye, Blairgowrie, and Sorrento.
This year, the program is moving onto Portsea.
The removal of unauthorised watercraft is seen as a crucial step in ensuring healthier and more resilient foreshore and dune systems.
Regional hockey is set for a boost with facility upgrades underway at the Prince of Wales Park in Ballarat.
The $1.3M council project includes replacement of the synthetic hockey surface, upgraded fencing and new shelters.
It’s the first stage of works to cater for the future growth of hockey in the region and is expected to be completed by the end of May.
Dog owners in Warrnambool are being urged to respect “no-go zones” designated by the council to protect local birdlife.
The areas, including Stingray Bay, Pickering Point and the South Warrnambool wetlands are off-limits to dogs at all times of the year.
The restrictions aim to protect a variety of bird species, including the world-famous little penguin colony, that nest, raise their young, and seek sanctuary in these areas. Threatened species include the Hooded Plovers and the extremely rare Orange Bellied Parrot.
Hepburn Shire is hosting a workshop to help farmers come up with strategies to deal with extreme weather events.
A lineup of keynote speakers will present case studies outlining proactive initiatives.
Mayor Brian Hood said extreme weather is a reality, and the council wants to help farmers take a more proactive approach to farming practices to minimise damage to crops and livestock.
At Macedon Ranges, the council is seeking first-hand feedback from residents impacted by recent storm events so that additional support can be tailored for such circumstances.
The council has received hundreds of reports of flood and storm impacts since Christmas Eve.
A series of drop-in sessions have been arranged, as well as an online feedback option.
The VLGA has announced the first speakers for its signature event, FastTrack – Leading Under Pressure in March.
Kos Samara, Director of leading political consultancy firm RedBridge heads the list of panelists for the day.
Also appearing will be Dr Sam Wilson, an Associate Professor in Leadership at Swinburne Business School; Mindset and Leadership Coach, Darrin Ray; Cr Amanda Stone from Yarra City Council; and Cr Mia Shaw from Wyndham City Council.
The live in-person event is scheduled for Friday 15th March, and registrations are now open. Find out more at vlga.org.au/events.
The Daily Telegraph has reported on anger at the City of Sydney after staff confiscated a city flag from a councillor’s office.
The council plans to review the flag and other symbols used by the city, with Lord Mayor Clover Moore having declared the Sydney flag problematic.
It is understood concerns include a lack of acknowledgment of First Nations people on the flag.
The Coat of Arms and the Chains of Office are also said to be part of the review, which is yet to commence.
The flag that had been on display in a councillor’s office is city property and has been placed in storage in the civic collection.
The councillor, Lyndon Gannon, said the confiscation was unnecessary and is believed to have purchased his own replacement flag.
Asbestos has been discovered in garden mulch at Rozelle Parklands, an inner Sydney site, prompting urgent calls for its removal.
Darcy Byrne, a local father and the mayor of Inner West Council, has called for the replacement of all the mulch with organic, verifiably safe material.
The council has asked all local people to stay away from Rozelle Parklands until further notice.
In a report from AAP, Mr Byrne criticised John Holland, the contractor behind the park development, for failing to provide a safe facility despite receiving significant public funding.
Blue Mountains City Council is set to install a new roof on its Katoomba headquarters due to years of deterioration that have caused recurring leaks and restricted use of the building.
The work, which is scheduled to begin this month, will require scaffolding to be set up around the Civic Place building.
Despite the construction, the Council will remain open for business as usual, with no anticipated impacts to building access or Council meetings. The project is expected to be completed around mid-2024, weather permitting.
CEO Rosemary Dillon said not undertaking the work would risk further “band-aid” solutions that do not provide value for money or better sustainability outcomes for the city.
Bundaberg Mayor Jack Dempsey has been cleared of a long-standing complaint by the local government watchdog, the Office of the Independent Assessor, according to a report from the Courier Mail.
The complaint alleged that Dempsey favoured the interests of influential political donors when he opposed a composting facility development application in a November 2016 council meeting.
There were also allegations of failing to declare a conflict of interest in relation to campaign donations.
In withdrawing the complaint, the OIC cited reasons including the length of time between the donations and Dempsey’s opposition to the composting facility, the time between the alleged misconduct and the submission of the complaint, and the minimal amount of the donations.
Cr Dempsey said the withdrawal of the complaint speaks to the baseless nature of the allegations made against him by people with political affiliations and agendas.
The Queensland government has launched legal action against Southern Downs Regional Council and a third party contractor over contaminated soil at a school and football oval.
The Courier Mail reports that the council could see a budget blowout of more than $500,000 as a result.
It is reported that in 2018, asbestos-contaminated material was found in mulch used at several locations, including sporting fields.
The final report due date for the Dorset Council Board of Inquiry has been extended by two months to April 30.
The extension was approved by Tasmania’s Minister for Local Government, Nic Street, following a request from the Board.
The Board’s inquiry has revealed several emerging issues that required further investigation, and the large number of submissions received and additional matters raised during appearances before the Board have extended the investigative process.
Suspended councillors, the General Manager, and the Commissioner of the Dorset Council have been informed of the extension and provided with the amended Board of Inquiry Terms of Reference reflecting the change.
In Western Australia, the Shire of Augusta Margaret River will send waste from FOGO bins to landfill until further notice as a result of a fire at an organic processing facility.
The facility is managed by Bunbury-Harvey Regional Council at Dardanup, and processes food organic and garden organic waste collected from across the southwest of the state.
The council has advised residents that while FOGO bins will be still be collected, some may like to switch home composting systems if available.
From the UK, Brighton & Hove City Council is reconsidering its ban on the use of glyphosate, a weedkiller, due to the city’s worsening weed problem.
The council had initially banned the use of glyphosate in 2019 after it was linked to cancer and a decline in bee populations.
However, manual removal of weeds has proven ineffective and costly, leading to a potential reversal of the ban.
BBC news reports that the council is set to discuss three possible solutions to the weed problem, one of which includes the controlled-droplet application of glyphosate.
The move has been met with criticism from environmental groups, which argue against the use of chemicals to deal with weeds.
Over 100 leaders from various arts and cultural organizations have signed an open letter opposing proposed budget cuts by Nottingham City Council.
The signatories are calling for a more thorough consultation process on the spending cuts, arguing that the cuts would disproportionately affect the most vulnerable citizens in the city.
They have criticised the council’s approach to local government and democratic processes, stating that the public consultation was poorly timed and that in-person engagement events were limited.
Businessdesk dot com reports that the letter also points out that the reliance on digital consultation could disadvantage those most significantly impacted by the budget cuts, as the online consultation form is considered inaccessible and lengthy.
The BBC has published a new report looking at soaring levels of debt at UK councils, which have reached a combined £97.8bn, equivalent to £1,100 per person.
The Public Accounts Committee has warned that this poses a significant risk to local services, with some councils effectively going bust due to failed commercial investments.
In Florida, members of he Venice City Council are set to have their cell phones audited by a third party as part of a consent agreement following a 2020 judgment.
The action is a result of a lawsuit filed in 2018 which claimed the city violated the Sunshine Law by failing to produce text messages in response to a public records request.
The council members will be without their phones during the audit.
The Herald Tribune has reported on this case and previous faced legal challenges which led to significant costs for the city due to public record violations, including a 2009 case that cost over $1.5 million in attorney fees.
And finally from New Zealand, where a farmer in the Northland region is considering a formal complaint against a council staff member after an altercation over horse poo.
The NZ Herald has the story of how the woman rode her horse to a wharf to meet friends.
She claims to have noticed her horse had made a deposit before being approached by a council staff member who she says became verbally aggressive about her failure to collect the droppings.
Unfortunately for the council, there is no bylaw in place regulating the control of animals. It lapsed in 2019, and the council is scheduled to develop a new bylaw this year.