Councillor Numbers Discussed Online

Thursday, 29 October 2009

Council's online discussion forum www.pmhclistening.com.au will be the central point of consultation for the issue of reducing Councillor numbers prior to the 2012 local government elections.

The numbers issue was raised last week by Administrator Garry Payne following discussion at a community meeting. It forms part of a governance policy and procedural review that the Administrator has requested the General Manager to prepare.

"For a long time now I have watched Councils with a smaller number of elected representatives and I believe they work well together and deliver better outcomes for their communities.

"This certainly isn't a change Council could rush into or make lightly and we will conduct significant public consultation.

"I think PMHC Listening will be an ideal forum for the community to express their opinion and discuss the most effective make-up for our Council in the future," said Mr Payne.

In the last three months successful forums have been held on PMHC Listening for Timbertown and Lake Cathie Coastal Management. More than 800 people viewed the Lake Cathie discussion and there are now more than 200 residents registered on the sites database.

The discussion forum on Councillor numbers gives residents the opportunity to vote on their preferred number of Councillors and discuss the merits of reducing the governance costs against achieving fair representation for the area.

The forum address is www.pmhclistening.com.au/councillornumbers and the discussion goes live today until the end of November. Residents who don't have internet access are encouraged to write to the Administrator with their views on the issue of Councillor numbers.