Another side to Council Spin
When WA Business News announced* in 2015 that a Chinese developer had won a big infill job in Canning, no-one imagined the developer, Sunlong Corporation, would go on to win BIG TIME. In a Council area almost entirely built out but with a huge infill quota to meet, a crucial 25h site became available courtesy of the Housing […]
Read MoreIt’s hard, as the community, to get the whole truth, all the implications, about anything at the City of Canning these days. So much spin… Take the Agenda Setting Briefings (ASBs) concept, for example. Former Commissioner Linton Reynolds hailed it as some sort of progressive way forward: the community was encouraged to ask their Qs there, instead of the […]
Read MoreAt bottom: Is the breakdown of the $1.6m Inquiry bill cost outrageous? In what will probably be viewed as a “sensation”, at the last council meeting held via our “under administration” status, the Commissioners overrode staff recommendations to continue negotiating on the $1.6m Inquiry in to City of Canning bill and told them to pay it. That money, it seems, will […]
Read MoreWe think former Mayor Joe Delle Donne makes some good points…. Clearly concerns about Canning continue… clearly the majority of our new Councillors and the Mayor will have little to no real experience in local govt…. clearly the staff who will advise them have been up to all sorts of things and frequently just didn’t do things […]
Read MoreWell, we think that’s more or less what MP for Riverton, Mike Nahan, said this week. Nahan’s concern about the City of Canning, particularly the behaviour of the administration under CEO Lyn Russell, isn’t going away any time soon. Nor will the Premier’s threat: Local govt? On notice. Right now. And if the long-term view of William […]
Read More(In case you missed it) Whereas Minister for Local Govt, Tony Simpson, has been fairly moderate in his announcements about intentions to try to control rate rises, Premier Colin Barnett today was not: Local government? Yeah, they’re on notice. Right now. The rate increases householders faced, in my view, were excessive… many of these local govts are grossly […]
Read MoreChair of Canning Commissioners, Steven Cole, attached a statement to the usual highlights brochure produced at the adoption of the City’s 2015/16 budget . Mr Cole should be commended for putting Canning’s true financial position on the record, and especially as Canning’s first new council in years is due to be elected in October. CanningAccountability offers […]
Read MorePoor management of the reform process by former Commissioner Linton Reynolds and Chief Executive Lyn Russell meant Canning nearly disappeared forever. It survived only because local govt reform suddenly collapsed – at least for now. However, after years of being “under administration”, the City of Canning remains a long way off from having a democratically […]
Read MoreCanning has not fared well under administration. It failed to seize the day on local govt reform, a valuable developer partnership was lost and costs skyrocketed. We now have a CEO who apparently served less than full term at both preceding appointments – and a Commissioner who seems to act beyond his station as a “short-term, unelected government appointee“. The State Govt’s […]
Read MoreToday’s Canning Times reveals employee load at Canning has blown out so much under Commissioner Reynolds the administration building, only built in 2006, can’t contain them. Public servants are to be moved to a shop at Carousel for a minimum of two years. It will not only house 18 staff unable to fit in our principal council […]
Read MoreCanning is spending a fortune leasing a shop at Carousel in a bid to develop the Canning City Centre. Yet the City recently lost a $700m partnership with the innovative* Dept of Housing: the Bentley Regeneration project. The question has to be asked: Does the City have the skills to manage developers, beyond creating structure plans, or […]
Read MoreRadio 6PR’s “Rumour File” tipped us off that the City of Canning was planning to lease a shop at Carousel to use as offices for staff. Rustling up what contacts we could on a Sunday, given Carousel’s market dominance, ratepayers could be forced to pay anywhere between $120,000 – $250,000 per year, not including fit out […]
Read MoreFormer Mayor Joe Delle Donne speaks HERE In-term Councillors Olsen and O’Donnell speak HERE Notes 1. Mayor Delle Donne’s term expired during Inquiry 2. Councillors Olsen and O’Donnell terms due to expire October 2015 3. Four Councillors remain in term – between them they represent Canning’s four wards
Read MoreIt is entirely possible the City of Canning will remain under the control of six Executives, and one Commissioner, until Oct 2015. As a result, when Canning merges with Gosnells, we may find Canning’s recent losses compounded – with no developed Councillors ready to merge with Gosnells’ much more experienced Council.
Read MoreCanning’s new Chief Executive Officer, Lyn Russell, has failed to provide general public access to the one and only public meeting held to present the City’s position on local government boundary changes before it submits its view to the State. Instead the “public information meeting”, to be held October 1st, has been reserved for 200 “stakeholder associations […]
Read MoreBull – Shit New! 6PR interviews CanningAccountability’s Diana Ryan 02/08/13 “We’ll watch [what happens] very closely” – Paul Murray New! Opinion Piece, The West Australian, 12/8/13 “Canning’s residents forgotten in Councils’ carve up” – extract Commissioner. A lot more impressive-sounding than acting, it would seem. In Canning’s case, the City of Gosnells could end up taking that to the […]
Read MoreNew! City of Canning’s submission to Local Govt Advisory Board (next stage of council amalgamation process) PLUS public information powerpoint presentation HERE New! City of Gosnell’s submission to Local Govt Advisory Board to be found HERE (Pls note: Indicative actions only; no analysis uploaded) As reported on ABC news tonight – a leaked report reveals Canning […]
Read MoreNot quite what we expected… Not even a metropolitan Council…. But in what could be a sign of things to come the $100m Shire of Ashburton’s Council will be required to undergo a make-over. The Minister for Local Govt, Tony Simpson, has ordered the Council submit to a panel of “Mentors” for the next six months.
Read MoreThe Salaries and Allowances Tribunal has released higher pay rates for Councillors and Mayors.
Read MoreMr Christopher Kendall, the barrister retained to conduct the Inquiry into the City of Canning, has determined hearings will be conducted openly from June. Inquiry Panel – City of Canning : Public Hearings In what looks to be a very long due process, the first hearing will be held in Council Chambers, City of Canning, thereafter […]
Read MoreSeems the only place in town to get an idea on what’s happening with council mergers is the local paper. In its Friday April 20, 2013 issue, Post Newspapers added another couple of pieces to the puzzle that is “local govt reform”. But the real puzzler is – what is Minister for Local Govt, Tony Simpson, going on about?
Read MoreAs filmed by WestTV Perth in Canning recently (below) Talks have begun between residents and ratepayers groups across Perth to canvass the possibility of a strategic alliance that will address planning issues. Under the Barnett Govt powerful new planning approval processes are seen as increasingly intractable, giving the appearance of democracy but in reality limiting public and council input. In Bentley […]
Read MoreThere was a lot of tough talk about local govt reform a year ago. Professor Alan Robson’s final recommendations on Metro Local Govt Review caused councils to feel change was near. Reaction was strong. Although Robson had recommended 30 councils be slashed to 12, Premier Barnett went on to say 15-20 was better. Wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to pull off […]
Read MoreTroy Pickard is his name, and yes, he’s a Liberal supporter – but also Mayor of our 2nd largest Council by population, Joondalup. Mr Pickard’s views about the unwillingness of Councils to embrace the wider possibilities of mergers are blunt. Does he know something we don’t?
Read MoreYou didn’t see that one coming, did you? Following his sweeping election win, Mr Barnett stated we should view his new lineup as a new govt, with new priorities. It’s a whole new ball game, in other words. It can only be a matter of time before the state begins announcing decisions about council mergers, and […]
Read MoreRecommendations The Panel recommends that: 1. The State Government give consideration to the inequities that exist in local government rating, including rate-equivalent payments and State Agreement Acts. 2. A collaborative process between State and local government be commenced to establish a new Partnership Agreement which will progress strategic issues and key result areas for both […]
Read MoreThe findings of the Independent Panel, which undertook the Metropolitan Local Govt Review, are worth contemplating. Since 1910 WA has only reduced its number of councils by 5%, compared to 40-60% elsewhere. Basically, we’ve ended up with 30 different sized metro councils, with varying levels of service provision because of differences in rates’ bases. The challenges […]
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Canning Accountability 