Forum –
Can Mr Crouch please advise at least one legal reform his “Government can make to prevent local government gross mismanagement re-occurring?
I’m tired of bleating and finger pointing – we need leadership and action.
The NSW Local Government Act is dated 1993 and the last amendment was in 2017.
There are real issues relating to governance, particularly transparency and independence.
Ratepayers need full and complete real time reporting on our financial position and the performance of the CEO.
His performance metrics and annual review, for example, were never published.
No mechanism exists to sack a CEO without severance as the Local Government Act states they must be contracted for a max period of five years.
The Mayor and Local Government Minister need more control to step in and correct ill performance.
They’re such blurred lines of responsibility between Mayor and CEO; in my view the Mayor should be elected, act as the CEO and be able to be dismissed by the NSW Government (with fresh elections required).
Get rid of councillors altogether.
Email. Mar 15
Luke Chell, Woy Woy