Background

Representation reviews are a legislated requirement under Section 12(4) of the Local Government Act 1999 and are generally undertaken every eight years. The key issues that need to be addressed during these reviews include:

• the number of elected members of Council that are required to provide fair and adequate representation to the community;
• the division of the Council area into wards, or alternatively the abolition of wards; and
• if applicable, the preferred future ward structure, the level of ward representation and the name/title of any proposed future wards.

We have prepared a Representation Review Report that reflects the current position of the Council. This report sets out what we believe should be carried into effect at the next Local Government elections. It provides information and analysis relevant to the composition and structure of Council.

No final decision will be made in respect to Council’s future composition and/or structure until consideration has been given to any and all public submissions received throughout this consultation period.

What you need to know

If you are interested in your community and how your Elected Members represent you, your ideas and interests, then this is a valuable opportunity to share your thoughts and tell us, have we got it right!

This review is looking at our representative and electoral ward setup. It has included considering whether the community would benefit from an alternative composition or ward structure. Our preferred structure proposes:

• The principal member of Council will be a Mayor elected by the community (as per the requirements of Section 51 of the Act).
• The future elected body of Council will comprise the Mayor and twelve (12) ward councillors.
• The Council area will be divided into three (3) wards with each of the proposed wards being represented by four (4) councillors.

Knowing how our community feels about the representative composition and ward structure that we are proposing is important to us.

• Do you think our review provides you with the right amount of access to Councillors?
• Do you think the ward boundaries that we are proposing are logical?
• What are your thoughts on proposed ward name themes?

We encourage you to read the Representation Review Report and provide your feedback.

The Opportunity to provide feedback closed at 4pm on Tuesday 28 January 2025