Our aspirations in Shape 2028

In 2018 our community aspired for a Council that was innovative, sustainable, efficient and open. They wanted a Council that involved the public in decision making in a meaningful way. To achieve these outcomes over the next ten years, our community goals and strategies were identified in the CSP as:

Northern Beaches Council was a newly amalgamated entity when community engagement on the original CSP took place. We heard that some residents in our community were unsure about what the amalgamation would bring for them and whether a ‘big Council’ would still be able to provide the level of service provided by their previous Council.

Transparency and accountability for planning, finances and decision-making were of key importance to the community.

Continuing the conversation

Local government that is open and trusted is still of considerable importance to the community.

Our community survey in 2019 showed that the majority of residents are satisfied with the performance of Northern Beaches Council. Council shares a similar satisfaction rating to other councils in NSW.

In the years since amalgamation, Council has consolidated its suite of governance policies, taking the best and most robust components of the policies of the former Councils and creating a strong set of transparent policies to provide assurance to the community that Councillors and employees are acting with the highest integrity and with the community at the centre of all that we do. Policies covering Code of Conduct, Code of Meeting Practice, Councillor Expenses and Facilities, to name a few, are in place to ensure ethical practice. All of these policies are available on Council’s website. Staff training in Code of Conduct and ethical practices is mandatory.

Council accountability is managed by monthly reporting on capital works through the online ‘current works’ map, quarterly performance reports and annual reports.

We know that our community want to be kept in the loop about matters that concern them. They want to be informed of progress on large issues such as transport and environment, as well as being informed about progress of customer requests and applications. Council needs to keep abreast of the information required, ensuring that it is accurate and timely. It is important that Council allocate the resources to ensure that key performance indicators around customer request management are met.

Balancing a wide range of service expectations with finite resources is an ongoing challenge for Council as many of our services are rated as high on importance by the community, as evidenced in community surveys.

Having a close-knit community with people able to have their say on local decisions is an important contributor to our resilience. As the world around us changes, in terms of environment and technology, trusting relationships and good communication are vital. Together we can make good, long term decisions to maintain and enhance the environment and the community that is so cherished.

There are 15 Councillors across five wards to provide strong leadership at a local level. We are doing well, and our community would like us to continue to do better. We are early on in our Business Excellence journey, a formal framework to strengthen management systems and improve performance. We are constantly looking for ways to streamline services and provide better outcomes for the community and our environment.