2023-03-07 Planning & Environment Meeting Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                     7 MARCH 2023


As stated, constant improvements have been made to the operation of the hotline over the last 12
months and ongoing communication with the hotline to improve its processes where required will
be undertaken.
Proposed actions
With a change in the structure of the short stay letting team and dedicated compliance action
officers, follow up of complaints not addressed with the contact person at the time and other
compliance matters around the use of properties for short stay letting will be investigated and dealt
with more readily.
With increased resourcing, active compliance action and enforcement is proposed to be
undertaken on:
     properties operating without an approval
     properties using secondary dwellings for short term accommodation
     approval notice signs, real-estate agent signs
     properties refused an approval and continuing to operate
3.5   Security services
As part of Council’s general contract for security services, Complex Security were additional
engaged to observe and record activity at short stay let properties on a 12 months trial basis.
The security services were limited to call outs from the 24/7 complaints hotline when a contact
person did not attend to a complaint and were restricted to recording and observing activity at the
property.
Security were not authorised to enter a property or interact with guests staying at the property and
their role was not to deal with the complaint on the short stay let owner or Council’s behalf.
Security were called out only once in accordance with their scope of authority when a contact
person did not respond to a complaint, where they observed the property but did not address the
complaint.
On review, the use of security has had very limited benefit as they have no authority to take action
at the time of a complaint. Whilst they provide an additional record of activity at the property, the
complaints hotline already records the complaint and details and the non-attendance to the
complaint by the contact person. The hotline provides the necessary information for further
compliance action and breaches under the local law with the contact person not attending to a
complaint in these instances.
Proposed action
It is recommended that security services not be continued due to its limited scope for taking action
and duplication in part of the complaints hotline’s role.
The revised budget reflects the removal of security services going forward.
4.    Previous Council Consideration
Ordinary Meeting Minutes, 21 October 2021
That Council note the report by the Principal Strategic Planner to the Planning & Environment
Committee Meeting dated 12 October 2021 and resolve to:
A.    Proceed with the making of, and make, Administration (Amendment) Local Law (No. 1) 2021
      (see Attachment 3) as advertised, but amended as follows:
      1. after section 1 — insert— ‘1A. Commencement Part 2 commences on 1 February 2022’.
B.    Proceed with the making of, and make, Administration (Amendment) Subordinate Local Law
      (No. 1) 2021 (see Attachment 4), as advertised, but amended as followed…
C.    Note that each of Administration (Amendment) Local Law (No. 1) 2021 and Administration
      (Amendment) Subordinate Local Law (No. 1) 2021 contain anticompetitive provisions;

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