Take a look at our new Community Engagement Strategy

Following public exhibition of our draft Community Engagement Strategy (CES), feedback was taken to Council's Strategic & Corporate Committee for consideration, together with feedback received on our draft Operational Plan 2023/24 and draft Long Term Financial Plan 2023/24-2032/33.

A report was then taken to Council on 26 June 2023 where the CES was adopted. For more information, take a look at the Council meeting agenda and minutes.

You are also welcome to read our new Community Engagement Strategy, which outlines how and when we engage.

Public exhibition of our draft Community Engagement Strategy

From 26 April - 23 May 2023 we collected feedback on our draft Community Engagement Strategy (CES). This draft outlines how we will deliver proactive, accessible and thorough community engagement as part of the creation and review of our Community Strategic Plan every four years, and beyond that, to all of our projects that need a community voice. It sets out how and when Council will engage, so our community knows what to expect from us.

Council engages with the community to:

  • Identify and understand the values, needs, priorities and aspirations of our community;
  • Ensure that Council best meets the changing needs of our community;
  • Hear from a range of voices so that everyone has the opportunity to express their views;
  • Enhance community ownership and acceptance of planning decisions and outcomes;
  • Facilitate ongoing two-way communication between Council and the community and
  • Ensure community feedback informs Council’s decisions.

The NSW Office of Local Government (OLG) recommends Councils adopt a Community Engagement Strategy (CES) in advance of delivering a Community Strategic Plan (CSP), which sets the direction for Council for a 10 year period from 2023/24. As with all our Integrated Planning and Reporting (IP&R) documents and processes, good community engagement is essential to making decisions that reflect community priorities.

In 2021 Woollahra Council adopted a Community Engagement Policy. It summarises our genuine commitment to engagement and outlines how and when we will seek input from the community to inform our decisions and service provision. Since then, Council has dedicated resources to engaging with the community in ways that have prompted strong interest and an increase in broader representative feedback from the community we serve.

Each council is required to create a strategy for how they will engage the community in creating and reviewing their CSP for 2023/2024.

The CES must:

  • Be based on the social justice principles of access, equity, participation and rights
  • Identify relevant stakeholder groups in the community
  • Outline the methods that the council will use to engage each of these groups.
  • Allow sufficient time to effectively undertake the engagement.

Whilst there are strong links between the draft CES and Council’s adopted Community Participation Plan (CPP) it is important to note there are some distinct differences. In summary a CPP plan sets out how and when Council will engage with our community on planning matters and it is a legislated requirement for Councils to have an adopted CPP. A CPP provides guidance to our community on how and when they can have a say on different types of planning matters or make a submission on a development application. The CPP only applies to Council’s planning functions under the EP&A Act. The CPP does not apply to the community strategic plan or documents in Council’s IP&R framework, delivery of Council services, functions, or infrastructure, planning matters under the EP&A Act which are not within the jurisdiction of Council, general communications between Council and the community, or routine administrative and operational duties.

It is important to note the draft CES is not a ‘one size fits all’ approach to engagement. Each project will vary in terms of reach, scope, timeframe, grant funding requirements, legislative deadlines, resources, stakeholders etc. The CES will be a helpful guide for Council and our staff in deciding how to approach engagement so that we can meet our policy commitment to engagement and strategically plan for the best possible results.

Council recommended that the draft CES be placed on exhibition for 28 days alongside the draft Operational Plan 2023/24 and the draft Long Term Financial Plan 2023/24 – 32/33.

Feedback on our draft CES was accepted from 26 April - 23 May 2023.

Community engagement plays an important role in making Woollahra a great place for people to live, work and visit. To serve our community well, Council’s work must be guided by their needs, priorities and aspirations. The best way to understand this is by consistently listening to what our community has to say through a robust engagement process that builds relationships based on trust and transparency.

We value our community as a source of local expertise, therefore we will actively seek out their knowledge and ideas to help us make good, sustainable decisions that benefit the whole community. Seeking a diversity of voices and perspectives, including those of minority and hard-to-reach groups, will ensure we make decisions that are representative and fair.

We recognise that not everyone will agree with every decision Council makes. However we will give everyone the opportunity to be heard, and we will transparent in our communication so that people understand why decisions have been made.

Have your say

From 26 April - 23 May 2023 we collected feedback on the draft Community Engagement Strategy.

Feedback was collected via the following methods:

All submissions and comments made before the closing date formed part of the final report considered by Council on 26 June 2023.

We value your feedback – thank you!