What's the point of local government?
You'd be forgiven for not being too sure what exactly your local government does. Apart from fixing potholes and collecting rubbish, there doesn't seem to be much action going on in the local council chamber. So why do we bother voting for this seemingly useless level of government?
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Photographer : BikeCouncil.org
What is local council?
Your local council is the elected body of representatives who manage community issues. Their job is to create long term plans for the local area, debate issues about the community, and make sure you don’t pay too much to use your local soccer field on Saturdays.
How does local council work?
Local councillors are elected every four years by the public through a secret ballot. You can vote in a council election if you are over eighteen years old and live in that local government area, if you own a business in that area, or if you own a property in that area.
Some local council elections also ask the public to vote for a mayor or president. In others, the elected councillors choose their mayor or president.
The council makes decisions about the local area in formal meetings that are usually open to the public. Many councils allow members of the public to present their concerns or raise issues at the beginning of the meeting. Any decisions that the council makes must be published in the minutes (an official record of the meeting).
Some council meetings will be closed to the public in order to respect privacy laws or confidentiality.
What is the role of the mayor / president?
The mayor or president is the leader of the council and represents the council on formal occasions.
They will preside over the formal council meetings, act as the principal spokesperson for the council, and perform local ceremonial duties like opening events or centres. The mayor also works closely with policy and strategy teams to make sure that local objectives are being achieved. This might involve meeting regularly with a youth reference group to ensure your needs are being met.
What does the local council do?
Some of the important responsibilities of the local council include:
Developing a management plan – This contains the key activities that the local council intends to carry out for the next three years, the main objectives behind these activities, and how the council will measure the success of their actions. It should also include the council’s yearly budget.
Developing a social or community plan – This outlines how the council will address the needs of specific groups of people. These particular groups will include women, children, young people, older people, people with disabilities, Aboriginal or Torres Straight Islander people, and people from different cultural backgrounds in their local area.
How can I ActNow?
Vote in your next local council election; or campaign for one of the candidates!
Run for councilor (why not?)
Attend a formal council meeting. For meeting times and places, check your local newspaper, library notice board, or council website.
Respond to council documents. Councils usually make their proposals available to the public for comment, but will only accept submissions for a limited time. These drafts can usually be found on council websites. Your feedback will help the council make sure they are acting in the community’s best interest.
For more information about your local government takes care of, check out the rest of the GOVERNMENT TOOLKIT.
How do I know this?
“How your council works for you”
http://www.localgovernment.qld.gov.au/docs/local_govt/
council_info/Council-works-brochure.pdf
Local Government Victoria “Guide to local government” http://www.localgovernment.vic.gov.au/web22/dvclgg.nsf/
headingpagesdisplay/how+councils+work
Department of Local Government “How to have your say in council” http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghome/PublicTopicsIndex.asp?mi=0&ml=10&id=7
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© 2008. First published on actnow.com.au
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