10 FEBRUARY 2021
ISSUE 225
REAL INDEPENDENT LOCAL WEEKLY NEWS
News
Despite the dozens of disgruntled residents gathered outside Gosford Chambers ahead of Central Coast Council’s February 3 meeting, and widespread community... See page 8
Out&About
Local members join calls to block PEP11
A lifesaving incubator will soon be online at Charmhaven’s SoCares Animal Care Facility, following a highly successful community fundraiser. See page 17
Health
See page 3 Federal Labor Leader, Anthony Albanese with Central Coast ALP members and other protestors against oil and gas drilling
$70M shortfall for essential services Four Director positions and their departments have been cut from Central Coast Council as part of cost-cutting, but Administrator, Dick Persson, says an extra $70M a year is needed to continue delivering the essential services of roads, rates and rubbish at current levels. The Administrator presented his three-month progress report at Council’s meeting on Wednesday, February 3. The meeting started late as Persson spent about half an hour speaking to protesters who gathered outside the Gosford chambers and were filmed by a television crew chanting “No rate rise”.
He asked how many of them realised that with the rate harmonisation process, former Wyong residents would pay on average $3 a week less. Some of the protesters said they did not know that. Persson acknowledged the challenge in communicating to the community the need for a rate rise. “I can’t get the message to the community strong enough - this is dire,” he said. Persson said he was happy to talk to residents but warned: “If you come to me with alternatives, we won’t talk if you haven’t read my report.” The report says that cutting costs would deliver about 70 percent of the $70M per year shortfall needed for essential
services while a rate rise would deliver the rest - if the Independent Pricing and Regularity Tribunal (IPART) agreed to grant one. Persson said that other services such as libraries, pool hours and sporting field maintenance would be cut back if the proposed rate rise did not get IPART approval. Council wants a rate rise of 15 percent and its second choice is a 10 percent increase. The deadline for Council’s submission to IPART was Monday, February 8 and the Council voted on Wednesday February 8 to sent the recommendation to IPART for the 15 per cent increase. “This need for a rate rise has come out of left field and IPART
is aware of that and is being accommodating,” he said. Meanwhile, the work of reducing the number of staff at Council continues and Persson said Council was meeting its redundancy target. Four directors and their directorates – Governance; Innovation and Futures; People and Culture; and Information Management and Technology - have been cut. The number of senior staff has reduced from nine to five and the business areas that fell under these directorates have been moved elsewhere within the organisation. The governance director’s position was vacant, as was the IT position, and the director of Innovation and Futures has left.
The Human Resources department has been incorporated into Corporate Services and the Internal Ombudsman is no longer on the executive leadership team. Also, the next line of managers has been cut from 39 to 26. These positions will go as staff leave the organisation over the coming months. “People are willing to go,” Persson said. The capital works program for this financial year had been cut from $240M to $170M. Persson said the current shortfall of $70M every year was not sustainable and banks wanted evidence of a plan to reduce costs.
Central Coast Carers Retreat extends its care to wombats. See page 33
Sport
A second come back win in a row for the Mariners at Central Coast Stadium, this time against Western United, has given the side a slither of first place security. See page 40
Continued Page 4
Puzzles page 23
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