AMENDMENTS to the local government act could potentially make it more difficult for residents and ratepayers to access important council information.
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The legislation, which is aimed at cutting red tape, will remove the requirement for councils to advertise information in a newspaper and allow them to advertise “such other manner as is determined by council”.
The changes are expected to affect requirements to notify the community about proposals to sell land, advertising senior staff positions and legal notices, it will also mean tenders can be delegated to anyone.
It could potentially create a patchwork approach of councils communicating to councils in different ways.
Bega Valley Shire Council general manager Leanne Barnes said council is watching the progress of the bill through parliament.
"One aspect of the proposed changes relates to reducing the mandatory requirements on councils to advertise and publish certain notices in newspapers for a number of council activities," Ms Barnes said.
"Obviously there are potential efficiency and cost savings to councils if this amendment is enacted, but we also recognise that keeping the community informed of council business is in everybody's interest.
"BVSC will review options for the future and consider how best to inform the community about important council activities and take advantage of efficiencies and financial savings also for the community.
"The final decisions and discussions will be open and final resolution on future options will only be made after considering the matter fully."
The State Opposition has expressed concern about the changes.
The Labor candidate for Bega, Leanne Atkinson, said the proposed act raised serious concerns about transparency.
“This community has been very clear about its need for transparency from both local and state government and the changes in the legislation could be very damaging to that,” Ms Atkinson said.
“The state government have told the community they would endeavour to be more transparent, but the proposed changes in the act are completely inconsistent with that.
“In a community like the Bega Valley, many people get their information about what council is doing in their town or even on their street by reading the council ads - where would they be if this information isn't publicised?”
Meanwhile, Local Government NSW president Keith Rhoades said his organisation was not consulted on the red tape bill.
“However, we are generally supportive except on three main issues – delegation of tendering, different thresholds for different councils and the advertising of senior positions,” Cr Rhoades said.
Councillor Rhoades suggested the delegation of tenders could “open the door to the risk of corruption” and believed the threshold limits could create two different classes of councils.
“Like most councils, we agree that their advertising requirements need to be more flexible so they can assess the best methods for their individual communities and reduce costs where appropriate,” Cr Rhoades said.
What do you think? Email ben.smyth@fairfaxmedia.com.au
THE State Government might be trying to cut red tape for councils with its proposed changes to the Local Government Act, but the move is more likely to widen the gulf between local governments and the communities they serve.
Instead of having a legal obligation to run printed notices in local newspapers about vacant senior staff positions, legal issues and proposals to sell land, councils will be able to choose which communication streams they use, if the changes are adopted.
Whether they deserve it or not, many councils are magnets for complaints because many issues they deal with strike at the heart of their community.
The changes are far from being a done deal but, if it goes ahead, each council will be able to make a final decision on how it will get important information to its ratepayers.
Removing print notices would be a backward step for the relationship between council and ratepayers.
While this newspaper readily acknowledges that this view is also in our best interest, our research, as one with a foot in both the newspaper and digital world, tells us that many people still look to the newspaper, rather than go online, for their local news.
If people have easy access to important information from council, they are likely to trust local government more.
A council serves a community and should first and foremost have the interests of that community at heart.