NSW Local Government Minister, Ron Hoenig, has today confirmed that three of the state’s councils will come out of administration following local government elections this Saturday, 14 September.
Central Coast Council, Wingecarribee Shire Council and Balranald Shire Council will all leave administration, with voters electing councillors for each LGA, but will be issued with Performance Improvement Orders, the Minister said.
“Democracy is an important part of our society, and every resident should be given the opportunity to elect the people they want to represent their local interests,” said Minister Hoenig.
The councils were placed under the control of an administrator by the former NSW Government due to a range of performance and governance related issues.
“The issues that led to these councils being placed under administration in the first place were very serious.”
“While the new councils are finding their feet, I want to make sure there is a framework in place to ensure stable and strategic governance which is why I intend to issue each council with a Performance Improvement Order,” said Mr Hoenig.
There are 77 candidates vying for 15 councillor spots on Central Coast Council, where the council was suspended in October 2020 and later dismissed following a public inquiry.
Voters in Wingecarribee Shire will choose from a pool of 60 candidates for nine councillor positions, where the councillors were suspended in March 2021 and later dismissed, also following a public inquiry.
There are 13 hopefuls for eight councillor positions in Balranald Shire, which has been under administration since January 2020 after a public inquiry was held.
To ensure the newly elected councillors are supported in the transition out of administration, the Minister has given notice of a Performance Improvement Order to apply for the 12 months following the election.
The Performance Improvement Orders will focus on budget discipline and financial sustainability, ensuring there are strong governance processes in place and that each council continues to implement the changes identified at the respective public inquiries.
Each council will be required to:
- Obtain concurrence of the Office of Local Government to make major staffing decisions including the termination of the General Manager, the restructure of the organisation, or budget allocations;
- Ensure adopted policies of Council are adhered to, including meeting practice, councillor request systems and councillor/staff interactions;
- Engage with Council’s Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee before any significant changes to Council’s priorities are adopted.
The 2024 local government elections will see all but one council in the state return to democratic representation.
The government has developed a new Rural and Remote Council model for Central Darling Shire Council in far west NSW, which has been in administration for more than a decade.
Elections for this council have been deferred with the aim of holding elections in March next year, the Minister’s office confirmed.
