Just four years since its establishment, Western Australia’s Town of Cambridge has come a long way. Created with the Towns of Vincent and Victoria Park, when Perth City Council was split to create a CBD Council, Cambridge has a population of
24,000 people.
Home to a large number of regional sports and recreation facilities, five and a half kilometres of coastline and Lake Monger, Perth’s second most popular tourist attraction, in square metres Cambridge has more recreation venues and parklands than any Council in Western Australia.
“With a relatively small rate base, pressure is on Council and its ratepayers to maintain these regional facilities,” said Graham Partridge, Chief Executive Officer. “This year, the Town is installing an automatic reticulation system in its parks and reserves at a cost of $1.3 million.”
Established on 1 July 1994, the Town of Cambridge literally started from scratch.
“It was a huge challenge with no initial resources to cover day to day operations or set up costs,” Graham Partridge said. “However, the Town has come a long way with a number of major projects and achievements gaining strong community support and much interest from other Councils.”
Cambridge’s Waste Management Strategy has resulted in Council achieving the national benchmark of reducing waste to landfill by 50 percent. It was one of the first three Councils Australia wide to introduce a separate green waste collection.
Two years since its inception, the Strategy has wide community support evidenced by high participation rates in recycling. The Town is also participating in one of four pilots as part of a State Government Program to underground overhead wires.
Work is currently underway in Wembley, with 1,150 households and covering about one fifth of the Town. Council has offered residents the option of time payments over 10 years, as well as a discount for up front payment. Sixty percent have opted for up front payment.
“Council has placed a high priority on community consultation,” Graham said. “Our Coastal Management and Community Needs Studies are just some examples of involving the community in our strategic planning.”
Complementing this, Cambridge has placed a strong emphasis on customer service. Dedicated Customer Service Officers provide a One Stop Shop service, handling 80 percent of inquiries at this first point of contact.
Cambridge Town Council is also proud of the fact that as a State winner in the Australasian Active Learning Management Challenge, it was one of 12 Council teams from across Australia and New Zealand to travel to Canberra in May to compete in the 1998 final.
For further information contact Jason Buckley, Executive Manager, Corporate and Customer Services telephone (08) 9347 6020.
