If the Minister is not responsible, who is?
I am calling for honesty and transparency from Central Coast Council and I am calling for them to do first things first.
When, how and through whom will we be able to hold Central Coast Council to account for their performance in delivering service to the ratepayers?
Over recent months, I have raised issues with council staff and administrator Mr Rik Hart about council maintenance and works in Umina.
Under Mr Hart's administration, the Council continues to misspend money on discretionary and low priority, unnecessary activities while matters of core business remain under-funded and not repaired, maintained or completed.
My approaches to the council have been met with obfuscation, denial and deceit, avoiding accountability and acceptance of responsibility to this community.
I raised my concerns with Member for Gosford Ms Liesl Tesch who made representations to Minister for Local Government Ms Wendy Tuckerman.
In the Minister's response, she said she could neither "...intervene in the day-to-day operations..." of Central Coast Council, nor "...review council's planning and development processes or determinations..." overseen by the Administrator.
It was the Minister and the NSW Government who sent the Central Coast Council into administration.
It was the Minister and the NSW Government who appointed an administrator to administer the Council.
She acknowledged that there was a "need for councils to be accountable and responsible to their communities".
But, as an unelected unfettered authority, the administrator is certainly not "...accountable and responsible to ..." our Central Coast community.
How can our community hold Administrator Hart to account for not meeting the community requirements and expectations if not through the Minister?
To whom is Administrator Hart accountable for the spending of ratepayers' money as well as NSW taxpayers' money if not the Minister?
SOURCE:
Email, 11 Aug 2022
Ian Weekley, Umina