Saturday, Sept 14 marked a significant day for the Central Coast, as locals headed to the polls for the first time since 2017 to elect 15 new councillors—three from each of the five wards.
The gentle spring weather provided the perfect backdrop for the community to engage in this important civic duty.
However, some confusion surrounded the election, with many voters expressing concerns that they had received little information to help them make informed decisions, particularly about the councillors and a referendum on governance.
Despite this, readers of Coast Community News were grateful for the extensive coverage provided over the past two months.
The publication’s comprehensive reporting on the candidates helped many locals feel more confident at the polls.
Julian Richards, an independent candidate for Gosford West ward, praised the news service on social media, saying, “A very genuine THANK YOU to Central Coast Coast Community News for your fair and comprehensive coverage of candidates.”
As the NSW Electoral Commission finalizes the tally starting on Monday, the final results will be known within the next few days.
The detailed work of counting preferences will decide at least four of the councillor positions, maybe more.
Preliminary first preference voting results only (these results may well change on preference flows)
| Ward | Position 1 | Position 2 | Position 3 |
| Budgewoi | Labor | ??? | ??? |
| Wyong | Labor | Liberal | Team CC |
| The Entrance | Liberal | Labor | ??? |
| Gosford East | Team CC | Labor | Liberal |
| Gosford West | Liberal | Labor | ??? |
On the current analysis, based on first preference results, (which do not include the below the line voting results), the Labor Party have one councillor in each ward, giving them five, the Liberal Party have four and the Team Central Coast group has two.
That leaves at least four councillor positions yet to be decided.
Once all the councillor positions are filled, negotiations among the newly elected councillors will begin to choose the next mayor and deputy mayor.
Referendum question
As for the referendum results for the proposed reduction in both councillor numbers and wards the vote is too close to call at this stage, with many booths close to 50/50 at this early stage of counting.
Follow updates on our Council Election pages
Nobody really scrutinised Belinda Neal expelled by ALP in 2017 and now unusually given life membership