Reform Wollongong City Council

WCC Letterhead

25 February 2010

Dear Bruce

Community Consultation Policy review

Thank you for your interest in the review of Council’s Community Consultation Policy.

As you are aware we have been preparing a scope for the review. Originally we intended to hire an external consultant to undertake the review. However, in preparing the scope we have determined that it will be possible to undertake the review with resources available in the organisation.

A report on this review is expected to go to the 30 March Council meeting. Further consultation on the Neighbourhood Forum Charter will be recommended in this report.

Please contact me if you would like more information.

Issue of this letter is authorised by

Jodie Healy

Community Engagement Coordinator

Wollongong City Council

———–

The original resolution of WCC stated, in clear and unambiguous terms:

ITEM 12 – REVIEW OF COMMUNITY CONSULTATION FRAMEWORK POLICY AND OPTIONS (SU25965)

– REPORT OF MANAGER COMMUNICATIONS AND STRATEGY (JH) 1/10/08

ORDINARY MEETING OF COUNCIL

HELD ON

TUESDAY 28 OCTOBER 2008

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY on the motion of Administrator McGregor seconded Administrator Kibble that –

1 The draft Consultation Policy, draft Neighbourhood Forum Charter and draft Community Leaders’ Meeting Charter be adopted for

implementation in February 2009.

2 It be noted that Administrators will meet with the Chairs of Neighbourhood Forums at regular intervals in order to modify some of the

restrictions in the Neighbourhood Forum Charter.

3 An external review of the effectiveness of this community consultation arrangement be undertaken in 12 months.

This raises an importance issue of good faith between Council and community. We have operated with the new WCC arrangements under the expectation that there would be a more or less independent review of the process within a year.

WCC have now reneged on that undertaking – one which was actually contained in their own formal resolution.

There are very sound reasons for having an external review. An internal review will be subject to all manner of in-house pressures of the kind the ICAC inquiry found to operate to the detriment of us all.

An internal review is not what was required by the Adminstrators when they introduced the new WCC Community Engagement Framework in 2008. The requirement for an external view was made explicit with the passing of the relevant Council resolution.

An external review was required by Council resolution. How is that changed without another Council resolution – and without community consultation on the importance of an external reviewer?

Just who is the “we” who have determined that the formal Council resolution will be simply abandoned?

HEAR THE ADMINISTRATORS OWN WORDS FROM 2008

I actually made a video of the discussion and passing of this motion, which was posted on You Tube and on Reformwcc.info.

Take a look at

Video of Agenda Item 12 WCC meeting 28 Oct 2008

http://reformwcc.info/?p=244

The review was explicitly required to be conducted by an external body.