A NEW travel policy to regulate ratepayer-funded trips for Frankston councillors has been adopted. Frankston councillors are permitted to have overseas and interstate travel paid for if traveling on council business. A new “Councillor Travel Policy” guiding this process was presented to councillors and approved at their most recent ordinary meeting. The new policy reads that authorised councillor travel must “deliver a clear public benefit and measurable outcomes for the municipality.” It also read that interstate and international travel must be “approved through a transparent council resolution and administered consistently with council policies and frameworks”, and “manage risk, safety, and…
Author: Brodie Cowburn
FRANKSTON Council has directed its officers to not enter into “new partnerships or memberships with external organisations” before drafting a new Strategic Partnerships Framework. Councillors unanimously resolved to begin work on the Strategic Partnerships Framework at their most recent public meeting. A motion on the matter raised by Cr Kris Bolam read that the new policy will “provide clear, consistent, and transparent parameters for its memberships to and associated partnerships with external organisations. “Existing memberships have been established through different approval pathways, and the level of governance oversight, transparency and demonstrated value across these arrangements varies,” Cr Bolam’s motion read.…
KINGSTON Council will review its Mordialloc Creek Masterplan in the wake of the controversial closure of the Mordialloc pedestrian underpass. The underpass adjacent to the rail stabling yard near Mordialloc Creek was permanently closed in August last year as part of Level Crossing Removal Project works. Since the underpass closed, Kingston Council has been calling for an alternative pedestrian and cyclist access link. Last week, Kingston Council issued a statement that it had “endorsed a staged approach to improving pedestrian and cycling connectivity in Mordialloc, reinforcing its ongoing advocacy for better links through the precinct following the closure of the former…
THE cost of planned upgrades to the Nepean Highway has been revised, with $15 million promised to the project now expected to be spent elsewhere. $15 million of a promised $50 million for upgrades to the Nepean Highway and Overton Road intersection is set to be diverted to other Victorian roads. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised the money for the Nepean Highway/Overton Road project during the 2025 election campaign. Last week the federal government announced it had allocated $10 million to Frankston Council for works on the Nepean Highway Precinct, $25 million to the state government to deliver the intersection…
AFTER a 24 hour delay due to a lack of councillors in attendance at a scheduled meeting, Kingston Council’s annual budget for the 2026/2027 financial year has been approved. A special meeting of council was called for 26 May to consider the budget, after the scheduled meeting the day prior was called off after three hours due to a lack of quorum. Multiple councillors attending the 25 May meeting in person and via Zoom exited before the budget had been considered. This meant that the meeting could not continue, as a majority of councillors were no longer present. Councillors returned…