THE Bellingen Shire Labor Team has released its plan to improve the administration and direction of Bellingen Shire Council, with a pledge to reconnect the Council with the community.

Under the plan, the Labor team will establish two new units in Council, one to work on community safety and the other on communications.

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Bellingen Shire Mayoral candidate Andrew Woodward said the local Labor candidates pledge to implement a new customer service philosophy in Council and streamline and speed up approval processes.

Specifically under the Labor Team’s plan:
● A community safety watchdog unit will be established to monitor fire, road, water, and health-related safety compliance and issues.
● Council management and staff will undergo regular training in customer relations, including adopting an all-of-Shire service philosophy.
● A communications and community relations unit will be established.
● Council approval processes will be streamlined and deadlines for responses shortened.

The Labor Team said its plans for improving the Council’s administration and direction are funded within current Council resources.

“Time and time again, all you hear is ‘the bloody council’, and all too often, the council arrives too late to a problem or not at all,” Bellingen Shire Councillor candidate Paul Hemphill said.

“It’s time to change this perception.

“Our Council staff care for and work hard for our community, but established processes often detract from their good work and highlight the shortcomings.”

Mr Hemphill said the Council as a whole should have a broad worldview and work for the good of all residents, rather than for sectional interests and particular communities.

“The Council should be for all of the Shire,” he said.

“Council has a crucial role in ensuring the safety of residents; along with the police, fire and health system, it is the fourth pillar of local community safety.

“The Council should be vigilant and proactive in protecting us from fires and pandemics, it must also ensure our waterways are clean and troublesome roads are repaired swiftly and well.”

Mr Hemphill said the more that Council management and staff understand the community’s needs, the quicker they can respond to serving them.

“We are committed to helping council employees to learn more about making their customers happy,” he said.

“There is a perception that dealing with the Council is often too hard, that the paperwork is mind-numbing, that you can’t find anyone to talk to, and that council rarely responds promptly, if at all.

Sleeker processes and quicker turnarounds are two of the most requested things demanded of the Council; we’re committed to doing something about it.”

Mr Hemphill pledged that within a year of obtaining office, the Bellingen Labor Team will change the approval processes of the Council.

“Central to improving council processes is the creation of a communications and community relations unit,” he said.

“Council is often perceived as being almost invisible in the community and online.

“We will ensure that management and staff be seen as frontline and not hiding in the back office.”

Mr Hemphill said Council had plenty to tell the community.

“It is a clearing house for essential information and stories that bring the community together,” he said.

“Clear, regular and engaging communication will become a priority under a Labor council.

“Council is the hub of our community; it must be a welcoming, engaging and responsive organisation, and residents should feel it’s on their side.”