This consultation has now concluded - thank you for your feedback. The Community Engagement Policy was adopted at the 26 July 2021 Council meeting and is now in practice.

At Woollahra Council, community engagement plays an important role in everything we do. We recognise that using the community's invaluable local knowledge along with their views, concerns and aspirations to inform Council decisions leads to better outcomes in our service design and delivery. Our community also rightfully expects to have a say in the decisions that affect their lives.

To support our ongoing efforts, we have updated our Draft Community Engagement Policy to formalise our commitment and approach to engagement. We are now seeking your feedback on the draft policy, via a short submission form, before Monday 17 May 2021.

The draft policy includes:

• Our definition of community engagement
• The aims and guiding principles behind community engagement practices at Woollahra
• Our model for a scalable community engagement approach
• Details around when Council will facilitate community participation and when it will not.

Please note that this policy does not relate directly to engagement on development applications or planning proposals, which are covered under the Community Participation Plan (CPP) that has been in place since 2019.

While this policy outlines our commitment to engaging the community as part of our decision-making process using appropriate, effective and inclusive methods, how Council delivers engagement will vary with each project. By considering factors such as timing, impact, reach of issue and what level of engagement is most appropriate for the community's needs and interests, staff will continue to make informed decisions when designing tailored engagement programs.

How can I stay engaged?

Your Say Woollahra is the home of our community engagement program. Here you'll find projects, past and present, where we have invited participation from the community. While the site is used to capture online feedback forms such as surveys, polls and ideas boards, it also lists all of our face-to-face engagement events - think pop-ups, workshops and focus groups.

The best way to stay informed of every opportunity is to register on Your Say. That way you'll receive our periodical newsletter, and we can keep in touch with you on project decisions and outcomes, as well as how projects that you've engaged with are progressing.

Next steps

We invite you to make your submissions on the draft policy before Monday 17 May 2021.

All submissions made before the closing date will be considered in preparing the final report, which will then be put up to Council for adoption.

Draft Woollahra Community Engagement Policy: Submission Form

We invite you to make a submission to the Draft Woollahra Community Engagement Policy before Monday 17 May 2021.

Please tell us your level of support for the draft policy. Then, if you would like to write a submission, please choose whether you would like to upload a document or type your comment directly into the page. Click 'Submit' when you are done.

CLOSED: This survey has concluded.