2014-08-19 Planning & Organisation Committee Agenda - Pages 102-155

PLANNING & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                  19 AUGUST 2014


Local government decision making is undertaken by the elected members in accordance with
Council’s statutory responsibilities and powers. As the elected body, the community relies on its
Council to get on with the job and deliver services and make decisions on the majority of matters.
But there are situations where the community does want a say due to the significance of an
issue, the potential impacts on residents, or the level of concern is such that broader input is
necessary to gauge community sentiment.

A policy on Council’s approach to community engagement provides clarity for the community on
when council will take a consultative approach to decision making and where Council will simply
inform the community of its decision.

The policy needs to be supported by a clear framework and the IAP2 Public Participation
Spectrum is considered to be the most appropriate, refer to Attachment 2.

The IAP2 framework assists with selection of the level of participation relative to:

 the complexity or significance of an issue; and/or
 the ability of the community to influence the outcomes (some issues may not be negotiable
   due to regulatory, risk or financial considerations).

It also defines the public's role in any community engagement program, and importantly it sets
out the promise being made to the public at each participation level. The Spectrum is widely
used and is quoted in most community engagement policies and manuals.

The proposed policy provides for:

1.     A set of principles to guide community engagement practice;
2.     Roles and responsibilities of Councillors and staff in engaging with the community;
3.     Developing a culture of engagement; and
4.     Co-ordination of engagement activities.

Previous Council Consideration

Nil.

Finance & Risk

The adoption of a Community Engagement Policy is consistent with Section 4 of the Local
Government Act 2009 which requires Council to act in accordance with the local government
principles, in particular “democratic representation, social inclusion and meaningful community
engagement”.

Consultation

External Consultation - Community & Stakeholder

Nil.




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