Lead candidate Kevin Brooks for the Gosford West ward group of Independents, Ratepayers Choice, has slammed the Performance Improvement Order (PIO) to be imposed on Central Coast Council by Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig.
Brooks said he would be writing to Ron Hoenig and State MPs asking them to reconsider.
‘It is undemocratic and unreasonable to sanction new councillors even before they have been elected,” Brooks said.
“Ministers Ron Hoenig and David Harris obviously do not trust the people of the Central Coast.
“They think we are incapable of choosing our own leaders, or governing ourselves through a system of local democracy that works perfectly well across the rest of the western world.”
The Minister gave council one week to respond to his PIO proposal and Administrator Rik Hart endorsed the concept at an extraordinary meeting of council on September 6 saying it would create “guardrails in case the horse bolted”.
Hart said it set clear expectations that councillors would operate within parameters that would ensure the sound financial position of the council remained once the councillors came on board.
It would stop them being able to change the CEO or to restructure the council or change any of the codes of conduct unless the Office of Local Government agreed.
The councillors would have to: implement the recommendations from the Public Inquiry of 2022; get approval from council’s audit risk and improvement committee for any changes in priorities; and publicly disclose the impacts of any changes to council’s long-term financial plan.
Their decisions would not be able to adversely impact council’s financial metrics as measured through the Office of Local Government’s financial indicators.
Not only that, the financial ratios have to consistently improve.
All up, there are 16 indicators to comply with and another six reporting obligations including quarterly reports to the Office of Local Government about any “acts of disorder” at council meetings.
The Order would last for 12 months.
Brooks said the PIO as drafted hadn’t been properly thought through and may give council senior managers an excuse to obstruct reforms that were needed to improve performance, efficiency, productivity and culture.
“The PIO also makes it harder to ensure resource allocation reflects the priorities of the whole community rather than those of a self-interested council bureaucracy,” Brooks said.
“We also need an explanation as to why this happened just 10 days before an election?
“Did any State Members or council executives advocate to the Minister for this and if so why?” Brooks said.
He was the only one of the 77 candidates standing in the September 14 elections who indicated he would take the opportunity to write to the Minister with his objections.
Team Central Coast spokesman Lawrie McKinna said the team was disappointed the Minister thought there was a need to implement the PIO.
Imagine that an incoming Council being told to be accountable.
Given what happen in the past with Council this PIO is great safeguard for rate payers.
I only wish it stayed on forever.
They are disappointed the Minister thought there was a need for a PIO, are they kidding.