Dismay at shift from consultation

The Killcare Wagstaffe Trust has expressed its dismay at Gosford Council's apparent shift away from community consultation in significant decision-making.

Trust vice-president Mr Eric Tucker said this was particularly evident with the council's decision to go ahead with a restructure, despite community concern.

Under the restructure, the community services directorate and environmental planning directorate are integrated into the five remaining directorates.

The trust has 240 members from the Hardys Bay, Killcare and Wagstaffe Peninsula area and beyond.

Mr Tucker said members were concerned at the processes used by Gosford Council to dissolve the Community Services and Environmental Planning directorates.

"The debate on the axing of the Community Services and Environmental Planning Directorates, at the council meeting on May 24 highlighted a significant shift in the council's relationship with the community it represents," Mr Tucker said.

"It should always be remembered that the council and its employees are there to serve and meet the needs and expectations of the community.

"It is therefore crucial that there is always transparent and open communication with the community at large in all major changes to the approach and method of operation of the council.

"The council and the executive should therefore favour more, rather than less, transparency and communication."

Mr Tucker said the debate on May 24 emphasised two areas of particular concern that have both short and long term ramifications for the council and the executive.

"They need to be able to work with and provide the services that the community has previously stated that they want and need," Mr Tucker said.

"Firstly, it is obvious that community consultation has fallen victim to the perceived need to fast-track important decisions on policy and structure.

"The meeting was told that the community should trust the elected councillors and the executive to carry out their wishes.

"It was inferred that community consultation slows up the management of council and in this instance there was no requirement to consult the public.

"Secondly, the community was asked to believe that there would be a full integration of the functions of the two axed directorates within the five newly-created directorates.

"An examination of the new organisation restructure does not give confidence that effective integration will result.

"For example, the separation of waste services from environment and planning into a department called city services gives no indication of how environmental policy, as outlined in the Sustainability Report 2004, will be integrated into decisions affecting the disposal of rubbish.

"Water and sewerage have a directorate of their own, although community services and the environment are not mentioned.

"More significantly, there is no mention of the environment in the environment and planning units."

Mr Tucker said the organisational restructure appeared to be an ill-thought-out mish-mash of the new and the old.

"We are asked to rely on motherhood statements like 'the activities undertaken currently within the community and environmental directorate will not be reduced but aligned with other areas of council's operations to improve integration and achieve balanced sustainable outcomes'," Mr Tucker said.

"In the case of the environment, councillors at the meeting pointed out how vital this integration was.

"Who is to be the identifiable person with the vision to take on this role?

"How will conflicts of interest be dealt with?

"If efficiency and good management are to be the way of the future, is it too much to ask that the restructure of council will demonstrate to councillors and to the community how vital areas like environment and community services will be integrated on a daily basis into the operations of each of the five directorates which remain?

Mr Tucker also said it was stated "that the general manager was unable to cope and work efficiently interfacing with the seven directorate heads on a daily basis".

"May we recommend that, rather than undertaking a massive reorganisation of the entire Gosford City Council executive and staff, it may have been more prudent to have provided additional immediate support to the general manager, possibly an assistant general manager," Mr Tucker said.

Press release, May 27 Eric Tucker, Killcare Wagstaffe Trust