This year was my second as a Whitehorse Councillor and I was honoured to have been elected by my colleagues in November 2009 to lead Council as Mayor.
This role has enabled me to put more of my energy and time into Council activities. It’s been a busy year with many highlights.
I am proud of the community strategies we have overseen including:
- The Community Wellbeing Plan 2009–2013 that provides a vision for community health and wellbeing over the next four years.
- The Whitehorse Climate Change Adaptation Plan – a response
to the unavoidable impacts of present and future climate change. - The upcoming Peak Oil Report that will examine the
impact of the depletion of the world’s oil reserves and its
consequences for the Whitehorse community and economy
and how Council can prepare for this.
Council updated the Council Plan 2009–2013 to identify Council’s priorities for 2010–2014 and define its key strategic objectives. The plan sets Council’s direction for the future and details how Council will allocate its financial and non-financial resources to deliver the Council Plan and all Council services, for the next four years. This is a positive response to Council’s goals and aspirations as documented in the 10 year overarching planning framework plan, Our Vision for Whitehorse 2006–2016.
The Council Plan goes further to outline the broad strategies Council will adopt to achieve its strategic objectives. The detailed actions and initiatives that Council will pursue are presented in Whitehorse’s Annual Budget each year.
Council will continue to actively lobby on behalf of our residents on matters including funding for the Box Hill central activity district, the upgrade of the Box Hill Interchange, grade separation of railway at Mitcham and Rooks Roads and the installation of a bike path that connects Box Hill and Ringwood.
Look out for the upcoming events in Whitehorse such as Spring Festival, Carols by Candlelight and the Summer Music Series.
For more information, log on to our website at www.whitehorse.vic.gov.au or call Customer Service on (03) 9262 6586.
Looking forward to seeing you in Whitehorse soon.
Councillor Bill Pemberton
Mayor of Whitehorse
