I HOPE you all had a joyful, safe and restful holiday season, surrounded by loved ones.

As we step into this new year, many families are still enjoying the holiday spirit, with schools set to return later this month.

For those looking for fun activities to do with the kids, be sure to check out the fantastic events and programs happening at our local libraries.

You can find all the details on our library page at https://library.midcoast.nsw.gov.au/Home.

Also, don’t forget about our beautiful hinterland towns and countryside if you are looking to spend the day away from the tourist hotspots.

They have much to offer.

Council staff are back and ready for action in 2025 delivering outcomes to the community across our whole gamut of services.

At the last Council meeting, I introduced a motion that was supported by my fellow Councillors to help set us up for some early wins this year in fixing our roads.

This builds on the work we began back in 2022 when I called for the development of a strategic plan for our road network.

That vision became reality in the form of the MidCoast Road Strategy, which was presented in 2024.

We now must start delivering actions to address the problems we know we have.

I’ve asked Council staff to prepare a draft four-to-ten-year plan for our road maintenance and repairs budget and to investigate options to enable another one-off contribution toward road improvements in the 2025-26 budget.

We’ll also be reviewing sources of income allocated to roads over the past three years so we can track our future progress.

Fixing our roads will take time, planning, and careful management.

We’re dealing with years of neglect, and it’s going to require a sustained effort and careful consideration of our spending priorities to bring about the improvements our community deserves.

We will be recommencing our program of community consultations with our new Councillors in the next few months.

Together, we can make 2025 a year of progress.

By MidCoast Mayor Claire PONTIN