Senior staff and councillors should be held accountable

Those who were charged with keeping an eye on the financial position of the former Gosford Council over the past decade (senior staff and councillors) should be held accountable for this unadulterated mess.

This is the biggest disaster in Council's history, the worst financial statement in 40 years.

The councillors over the past decade had the capability to question any item in the financial statements presented to them by the auditors that they had concerns over prior to them approving the financial statements.

This financial mess didn't happen overnight.

There would have been countless opportunities for the councillors to raise concerns, if they had any.

Being elected to the position of councillor is an enormous responsibility and honour.

The past councillors were charged with making sure that the community's monies (rates and levies) were spent where, how and on what, they were intended for.

The community should have no confidence in any previous councillor who sat on this board over the past 10 years as this problem seems to have begun around a decade ago, the justification of a past councillor who said that not enough reporting came back to them does not stand up.

If you are in charge of one of the biggest businesses on the Coast (Gosford Council) and you need more information regarding the financial position of that business then you ask for it.

We can't elect the same people back into these positions as councillors on the new Central Coast Council.

We need new representatives for the communities of the old Gosford Council area.

We can't let this happen again with the same old familiar faces.

They should be held accountable for this mess.

They were asleep at the wheel and they have no excuses.

The buck has to stop with them.

Email, 14 Mar 2017

Carl Veugen, Umina