Currently, only the Central Coast Council is categorised under the Local Government Act as being responsible for a ‘Major Strategic Area’.
The Local Government Remuneration Tribunal judged that our population, predicted population growth, and scale of the Council’s operations warrant that it be differentiated from other non-metropolitan councils.
It also found the Central Coast to be a significant contributor to the regional economy associated with proximity to and connections with Sydney and the Hunter region.
In other words, our council has a particularly challenging, complex but exciting role to play both within its boundaries and across them with its neighbours.
Hence, it is hard to believe that, along with the forthcoming council elections, we are to be asked in a referendum to reduce our number of councillors from 15 to nine and our number of wards from five to three.
We must remember that a good council is one in which councillors critically oversee council operations including the employment of finances, while continuously liaising with the community.
And they independently evaluate programs, plan for change and formulate recommendations and decisions.
It follows that the broader the range of knowledge, experience and skills that the council can bring to its role, the better it will do these things.
So let’s say no at the referendum.
Email, Jul 22
Sonnie Hopkins, Tascott
Two councils area were forced to merge so we must keep wards as is to service the larger population and area
No,I personally am not in agreement to keep 15 in council .
We tried that before and the state goverment sacked the lot of them ,Why? because very few had any knowledge of how to run a council ,still had there L plates on.
We need experience on council not a bunch of inexperienced councillors like previously.
I can’t see too many experienced councillors putting their hand up for this next election.