A Council Advice Program in Western Australia is going from strength to strength according to Steve Cole from the Department of Local Government. Under the program, which is a joint initiative of the Department, the Western Australian Municipal Association and Institute of Municipal Management, Councils involved are visited by a team of three people.
This team is experienced in Local Government and includes a Chief Executive Officer and an elected member. They meet with Councillors and senior staff to discuss the ways Council conducts its business and liaises with its community.
Among the issues the team can help elected members with are meetings, meeting structures and the relationships between senior management and the elected body.
“Better understanding of each others’ roles and more streamlined procedures leads to smoother administration,” Steve Cole said.
Among the tools of the review is a random telephone sampling of residents to ascertain their views of Council.
“We aim to encourage Councils to develop a strong customer focus,” Steve Cole said.
He said the ultimate aim is to have every Council in the State reviewed, preferably through the initiative of Councils themselves. To date 20 Councils have undergone a review, with a further eight in the pipeline.
An interesting aspect of the program is the number of Councils previously reviewed which have requested another review.
“Councils have recognised the benefits to be gained from the experience,” Steve said. “They now want us to come back and see how well their operations have improved.”
On the other side of the coin, CEOs and elected members involved in reviewing other Councils have gained from the experience.
“All the people who have been on the review side say they have learnt a lot more than the people they have reviewed,” he said. “The review process is intended to be ongoing as the Local Government sector is evolving and improving all the time.”
For further information contact Steve Cole, telephone (08) 9222 0511.
