From the Council Chamber - meeting April 15, 2025
By Pittwater Greens councillor Miranda Korzy
Community Strategic Plan sets the council agenda
Some residents in recent months have called for council to focus on providing “core services” and for it to be “run like a business”. Some believe it should be guided by the old "roads, rates and rubbish” formula. Others have called for extensive cuts, including to creative spaces, libraries and childcare.
However, modern councils are essentially service organisations. They are not businesses, set up to make a profit for their shareholders. They also maintain a broad range of assets - from stormwater infrastructure to carparks and community centres. Since the 1980s, they have been responsible for coastal management, and on the Northern Beaches, carry out bush regeneration at 300 reserves. We also maintain hundreds of playing fields, skate parks, and other sports facilities. And we provide services ranging from libraries to lifeguards, as well as facilities and support for the arts, youth, and older people.
In fact, for many residents, these are our “core services”. Different residents have different needs and priorities: these are all reflected in our Community Strategic Plan. At its April 15 meeting, the council voted to place the latest revision of the CSP on public exhibition.
Reviewed once each council term, the new draft explains that the CSP sits at the top of the council’s planning framework.
“It defines our community’s vision and sets the direction for all council activities, including funding, service levels and projects. The CSP will set an agenda for our own business as well as for advocacy and collaboration with key agencies to deliver on the community’s aspirations …,” the draft says.
The plan addresses seven priorities: Protection of the Environment; Environmental Sustainability; Community and Belonging; Housing, Places and Spaces; Vibrant Local Economy; Safe and Efficient Transport; and Good Governance and Participation. The need for resilience has been incorporated across all areas.
Community consultation was carried out in October/November last year before the new draft was finalised and an emerging area of concern, transport, was noted as a significant and growing challenge for residents. This round of consultation, in which staff and councillors will be looking for any concerns overlooked or other comments, gives residents an opportunity to review the draft document.
All councillors except Narrabeen Independents Vince De Luca, Bob Giltinan, Pittwater Independent Sunny Singh, and Curl Curl Green Kristyn Glanville voted to place the CSP on exhibition.
I would encourage everyone to take a look at this document which identifies council’s priorities, as determined in a long consultation process with residents. See: https://yoursay.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/review-community-strategic-plan-csp-2024
Budget documents going on exhibition
Budget papers also came to the April council meeting and will be placed on public exhibition with the CSP. In an unusual departure, the papers included two scenarios: one in line with the council’s request for a Special Rate Variation totalling 39.6% over three years; the alternative with only the IPART approved rate peg of 3.8%.
I told the meeting that unfortunately, the outcome of the council’s request for a Special Rate Variation was as yet unknown and IPART might not advise the council about it until late May. However, to satisfy the legislation we needed to approve exhibition of the draft Resourcing Strategy, Delivery Program for 2025-2029, Operational Plan and Budget 2025/26, at the meeting, to allow for the required period of 28 days public consultation.
Those draft budget papers propose for the next financial year (assuming approval of the SRV with a $16 million contribution) spending of $540 million, with capital expenditure of $96.1 million for new and to improve assets. Council forecasts an operating surplus - before capital grants and contributions - of $3.9 million.
Savings of $2 million are forecast from reductions in Manly’s Hop, Skip and Jump bus service, the events program, ending vacation care services, and operational efficiencies.
According to the papers, under the first scenario the rates notice for the median (or typical) residential property will rise by $45 per quarter - $3 of that is the Domestic Waste charge, $13 can be attributed to the rate peg, and $29 to the SRV. The Stormwater Management Services Charge (which may only be used for new infrastructure) will remain unchanged at $25 for a property ($12.50 for strata units). The median total rates per annum would be $2,186 or $547 per quarter. With the rate peg only, the median total rates would be $2,071 or $518 per quarter.
In line with councillors’ discussions at our Strategic Planning weekend in March, improving roads will be a major focus of the $96.1 million capital works program for the next financial year. Under the Draft Delivery Program, $25.3 million will be set aside for this, including $9.5 million for resurfacing. For new and improved footpaths, $3.4 million is budgeted. Stormwater assets, of which we have more than 970 in Pittwater in either poor or very poor condition, will receive $14.9 million for works to reduce flooding and pollution.
Curl Curl Your Northern Beaches Councillor Nicholas Beaugard moved that the papers be placed on exhibition, saying many councillors had spent hours pouring over the documents. Placing them on exhibition would ensure transparency, he said.
“Benchmarks show there’s no smoking gun, no mismanagement,” Mr Beaugard said.
Exhibition of the budget papers was approved in the same vote as for the CSP.
The papers can be viewed here: https://yoursay.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au
Fossil fuel investments now tracked in Monthly Investment Report
For those concerned about the council’s support for carbon intensive industries, council has now added a new indicator to its Monthly Investment Report: fossil fuel versus non-fossil fuel investments. In the April meeting papers, staff reported that 62.6 per cent of council investments were now held by banks lending to the fossil fuel industry, compared to 37.4 per cent of investments in those that don’t.
In response to this figure, Curl Curl Greens councillor Kristyn Glanville proposed calling for a report on moving the majority of council investments in Authorised Deposit Taking Institutions (ie banks) to non-fossil fuel banks. This was accepted as an addition to the Monthly Investment Report by the mover, Manly YNB councillor Sarah Grattan.
The motion was passed with support from all councillors except all three from Narrabeen, Independents Vince De Luca and Bob Giltinan, YNB councillor Ruth Robins, and Pittwater Independent Sunny Singh.
Speed limits to be reduced: North Avalon to Palm Beach, Narrabeen to Mona Vale.
Speed limits in three areas of the Northern Beaches, including North Avalon to Palm Beach and Narrabeen to Mona Vale, will be reduced to create safer streets, following a vote at the April council meeting.
The program, which was outlined in council papers, was initiated and will be largely funded by the state government. It aims to reduce the severity of road accidents, while encouraging more walking and cycling. Eliminating rat runs and directing traffic onto main roads (such as Pittwater Rd), will also help reclaim local streets for residents.
For example, at 50kph, a collision with a pedestrian has a 90 per cent chance of causing serious injury, while at 40kph the likelihood drops to 40 per cent, and at 30kph to only 10 per cent.
“Additionally, this reduction contributes to lowering community trauma costs, delivering measurable long-term benefits,” the papers said.
Other measures include installing new roundabouts, raised pedestrian crossings and traffic calming devices.
Staff divided the Local Government Area into 43 precincts for the purposes of the proposals, with designs first developed for North Avalon to Palm Beach, Narrabeen to Mona Vale, and North Balgowlah.
In Pittwater, council statistics revealed that for the Avalon to Palm Beach precinct, during the five years leading to 2021, seven accidents had caused injuries and there had been a number of near misses and minor accidents. The proposal is to cut speeds to either 30kph or 40kph in areas east of Barrenjoey Rd (not including the main road).
Consultation on the Safer Neighbourhoods Program was carried out for this area during October and November last year and attracted feedback from 372 residents. Most responses were supportive of improvements to pedestrian safety but there was a mixed attitude to the speed limit reductions. I heard from residents who found it inconsistent to be lowering speed limits to 30kph when they’re at 40kph in school zones. Others commented that they couldn’t travel any faster than that in the area anyway, so thought there was no need to reduce speed limits.
For Narrabeen to Mona Vale, council reported 25 accidents causing injuries over the five years leading to 2023, with numerous near misses, minor accidents and an upward trend during the period. In this area, the speed limit cuts from 50kph to 40kph were also expected to improve access to Narrabeen lagoon and beach, shops and Mona Vale Hospital Urgent Care.
Feedback on the proposal totalled 508 responses. Once again in this precinct, most respondents supported the changes, however, proposals to convert some Narrabeen streets to one way were rejected and recommendations for angle parking received a mixed response. As a result some of the designs have been altered.
At the meeting, Manly councillors said they were concerned with the level of consultation they had received, and along with those from other wards, wanted more consideration and a review of the issues of greatest concern to residents. These included: the number of traffic calming measures; chicanes (road narrowings) in quiet back streets; and the loss of parking spaces.
Manly YNB councillor Sarah Grattan moved the motion, and after considerable workshopping from the floor, accepted these changes. She also took on board an addition from me for council to write to the NSW Government asking it to consider reducing speed limits in all school zones from 40 km/h to 30 km/h, considering the high pedestrian activity and particular vulnerability of children in these areas.
The motion was passed unanimously.
The proposals can be seen at:
yoursay.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/safer-neighbourhoods-local-road-safety-program-whale-palm-beach and
yoursay.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/safer-neighbourhoods-local-road-safety-program-narrabeen
What’s happening with the cafe at Mona Vale Village Park?
Council recently called for tenders for the cafe above Mona Vale Library, in the Village Park (at 1 Park St, Mona Vale.) However, none completely met requirements which led to councillors approving negotiations with the highest ranked contender at the February council meeting.
Unfortunately, that tenderer eventually withdrew from the process.
“The current soft market conditions for hospitality businesses have resulted in fewer operators seeking new locations and opportunities to invest capital in new sites,” council staff reported in papers for the April meeting.
“Council’s recent hospitality tenders have received a low number of submissions, with many failing to provide the comprehensive information required in a Council tender process.”
As a result, staff proposed in the papers that council engage a leasing agent to find a suitably qualified food and beverage operator, given that it’s common practice in the hospitality industry for tenants to find premises this way.
The proposal was approved by exclusion (meaning in a vote for multiple items without debate at the start of the meeting).
Currawong Cottages to retain current operator
The current popular managers of Pittwater’s Currawong Cottages will continue their live in role following the council’s acceptance of their tender at the April council meeting.
The heritage-listed site with 10 cottages and an old homestead building, were run as a NSW Labor Council workers holiday camp for 60 years, until 2007 when the renamed body, Unions NSW, sold it to developers amidst much controversy. In 2011 Currawong was acquired by the NSW State Government, the then Pittwater Council was appointed to manage the site and Currawong State Park was established.
The Currawong State Park Advisory Committee was created in 2015 to provide strategic direction to ensure Currawong retains its tourist, heritage and recreational values and to preserve its environmental integrity.
Northern Beaches Council, which now administers the site, appoints managers to live at Currawong, and it was the tenders submitted for this role that were discussed in a confidential session at the April council meeting.
The current managers had been offered a one year extension to their role in May 2024, which will expire in June.
Last May, Friends of Currawong President Shane Withington told me that the current managers, Adam and Cathie Oliver, are locals, who “packed up their lives to move to Currawong and are doing a tremendous job”. The bookings are up, he said, and “they’re the best caretakers we’ve ever had”.
Public Forum speech regarding libraries - by Chris Burns
One of the most common assertions about the council (after claims it should just do rates, roads & rubbish) is that it is a business. Strangest business I've ever seen. What business would spend $11 million a year on sports fields and only recoup $2 million in fees from the users? One of council's chief roles is to facilitate the creation and provision of social goods, like community sport, and a social good that I really value, is our public library service.
The NSW State Library collects comprehensive statistics on public libraries across the state every year. I've been a librarian for 30 years (but not at council libraries for the past 20) and public libraries have been benchmarking their performance for much longer than that. Here's a few stats to reassure ratepayers that the Northern Beaches Library Service is not some outlier of extravagance, as some would have you believe. The latest available figures are for 2023-24.
In terms of total expenditure (roughly $13.5 million) it ranks 10th in the state but is one of the largest LGAs. On a per capita basis for library expenditure, Northern Beaches is ranked 64th out of the 90 services and for expenditure on library materials per capita 81st. For staff costs per capita it's 51st out of 90.
None of these figures scream waste or extravagance and in its Covid response and the Forestville 24/7 library, to name but two achievements, the service has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to innovation and agility.
Our public libraries serve more than just their registered borrowers for all sorts of purposes - internet access, heat refuges, meeting places, events - the list goes on. They are a central community asset.
The expectation that combining the three services would provide big staff cost savings is a little wrong headed. There's still the same number of desk shifts to be resourced, the same number of books to be reshelved, the same number of information requests, all those local history images to be scanned and catalogued etc.
And if you shut down Dee Why library, as (some residents seem) to be suggesting we should do, where would you put the stock and what would you do with that fairly unique space anyway? Of course with that mezzanine and Brutalist ambience it might make a good art gallery, but I hear they're not too popular with “the council is a business” types either.
I don't want a council that knows the price of everything and the value of nothing and I don't think you do either.