A NEW way for Kingston Council to seek community feedback is beginning to take shape.
Kingston councillors have backed a plan to establish new council advisory committees after the village committees system of consultation was controversially axed last year (‘Village committees canned’, The News 28/5/14).
Kingston residents will be able to apply to sit on individual advisory committees focused on arts and culture, access and equity, community safety, festivals and events, public spaces and environment, sports and recreation, business and economic development and a youth advisory committee.
A councillor will be appointed chairperson for each of the eight committees.
The committees focused on specific areas of expertise replace the village committees which were split by location. For more than 20 years the village committees considered wide-ranging subjects to provide public feedback to council.
Critics of the new consultation system note the specialised advisory committees will report back to councillors behind closed doors at councillors’ briefings rather than at public council meetings as previously.
Cr Rosemary West hoped council “will not hobble these committees to the point where no-one goes on them”.
“Councillors have made it really clear they do not want these committees to obtain information and advice from [council] officers via a similar system formally utilised by the village committees.”
Cr Paul Peulich said the advisory committees replacement of village committees is “a more efficient and effective model [and] is a positive reform.”
“[It is important] to have a well-functioning committee structure which is able to advise council and inform council about community views and also tap into local expert knowledge … is vital in any decision-making process, especially at local government level.”
The committees will be able to report directly to council and will be able to help council “shape policy”, according to Cr Peulich.
Councillors unanimously backed the draft plan for the new advisory committees although not all are convinced it will be an improvement on the former village committees system.
Cr West believed the new consultation process is “a bit of a charade” but said she would support it since “we’ve been nearly a year without community consultation”.
“This council sacked the village committees and shame on the councillors that did vote to sack the village committees.”
Crs Ron Brownlees, Tamsin Bearsley, Geoff Gledhill, John Ronke and Peulich voted to end the village committees.
Crs West, Steve Staikos, David Eden and Tamara Barth opposed the move.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 3 June 2015
