Community invited to have their say on Council’s Delivery Program Council’s Draft Revised Community Strategic Plan, Draft Delivery Program 2022-25 including the Operational Plan and Budget 2022/23, and Draft Resourcing Strategy will be on public exhibition and available for community submissions from Wednesday 25 May to Tuesday 21 June 2022, following endorsement at this evening’s Council Meeting.Every year Council presents a plan of works that focuses on what the community has told us is important.

The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) has released its final determination on water, sewerage and stormwater drainage pricing for the Central Coast, returning rates to levels that can see Council better maintain its vast water and sewer operations.IPART announced it would stagger the rate changes from 1 July 2022 – 30 June 2026 to allow customers more time to manage the impacts on their bills, which was requested within community feedback during consultation.The pricing determination will see the combined yearly bill for a typical household increase by the following increments, plus inflation:17 percent on 1 July 2022 ($183 increase)6 percent in 2023-24 ($80 increase)8 percent in 2024-25 ($106 increase)1 percent in 2025-26 ($9 increase)Council Director Water and Sewer, Jamie Loader said the rate changes will allow Council to provide services that match community expectations.“IPART’s determination will allow Council to invest in our water and sewer operations and increase the quality of these services for the community.

I have today welcomed the Minister for Local Government, The Hon Wendy Tuckerman’s announcement of Central Coast’s local government election to be held on 14 September 2024.The Proclamation also outlines the continuation of my term of appointment as Council’s Administrator up until the election date set.

We are excited to announce that following a 20-month journey, the Central Coast has officially achieved ECO Destination Certification with Ecotourism Australia, making it one of the first regions in the country to be recognised for its strong, well-managed commitment to sustainable practices and high-quality, nature-based tourism experiences.Achieving ECO Destination Certification recognises the Central Coast as a world-class location for sustainable and nature-based tourism, which will provide a substantial and ongoing boost to the local economy. The announcement comes just before World Environment Day’s 50th anniversary year, which encourages countries around the globe to celebrate #OnlyOneEarth through collective environmental action.Council Director Corporate Affairs and Chief Financial Officer, Natalia Cowley said it was exciting to see the region receiving formal recognition on an international level as an ecotourism destination of choice.“We are thrilled in our role in achieving this recognition and to announce our successful official ECO Destination Certification for the Central Coast, and what this means for our local community.“Statistically, we know that ecotourists stay longer, are more conscious travellers and are more interested in a region’s local community, nature, and culture. “Council is excited at the prospective boost in ecotourism that being an ECO Destination will bring, such as providing sustainable, local employment and training opportunities to the Central Coast community”.To achieve ECO Destination Certification, an independent Auditor assigned by Ecotourism Australia reviewed Council’s submission and conducted interviews with staff, stakeholders and tourism operators on the Central Coast. The Auditor said “Central Coast Council is to be commended for their sustainability planning including being only the second region in NSW, and the third in the whole of Australia to apply for Destination Certification through Ecotourism Australia.

Minister for Local Government, The Hon Wendy Tuckerman MP has announced the local government election for Central Coast Council will be held on 14 September 2024.Central Coast Council Administrator, Rik Hart welcomed the Minister's announcement and date set for Central Coast's local government election, saying it now provides Council with a date to work towards and time to implement the Commissioner's recommendations. “Council has made significant progress in stabilising the organisation, holding local government elections in 2024 allows Council to ensure a solid foundation for a newly elected body,” Mr Hart said.“At this stage, I plan to continue as Administrator and look forward to continuing to work with the Central Coast community to deliver the best outcome for the region.“While I've always been in favour of democracy, I am firmly of the opinion that sacked Councillors should not be allowed to run for Council in a subsequent election, and I will continue to push this view. “Experience has shown that when previous Councillors return from a period of administration, the risk of deterioration increases dramatically.

The ‘Thinking Out Loud’ Youth Forum is back in 2022; hosted by Central Coast Council’s Youth for Youth (Y4Y) Action Team. This year’s forum will be held on Wednesday 8 June at The Hub Erina Youth Entertainment Venue with the theme:

Central Coast Council is helping parents and supervisors with the challenging task of teaching learner drivers, to help make the experience of learning to drive a safe, positive experience for all.Council is offering two free workshops at Erina and Tuggerah libraries in June to offer practical advice on current driving rules and requirements for L and P plate drivers, how learners benefit from supervised on-road driving, and how to encourage positive outcomes through teaching learner drivers.Council Director Infrastructure Services, Boris Bolgoff said the workshops are designed to provide hands-on support to parents and supervisors of learner drivers.“Younger drivers (aged 26 and younger) make-up almost one quarter of annual road fatalities despite representing only 15 percent of all licence holders – this is an alarming statistic that we all should be determined to work toward bringing down,” Mr Bolgoff said.“With their relative inexperience, learner drivers also face a higher risk of being involved in a crash.

Central Coast Council is pleased to confirm that VenuesLive will take over management of one of the Coast’s most iconic assets, Central Coast Stadium.

Central Coast Council was named a winner in one category and highly commended in another at the NSW Local Government Excellence Awards, held late last week in Sydney. Plant and Fleet for its Fleet and Driver Management Transformation project in the Innovative Leadership category (category winner)Marketing and Tourism for its Love Central Coast project in the Special Project Initiative category (highly commended) The NSW Local Government Excellence Awards celebrate outstanding achievements across Local Government that promote innovation and improvement within the community. Council Chief Executive Officer, David Farmer has congratulated the winning staff and team on this fantastic achievement.“Council was recognised and named finalists in eight categories in this year’s awards, so I’d like to congratulate not only the winning team and staff members who were highly commended, but also those who were nominated this year,” Mr Farmer said. “We have built a new Corporate Affairs Directorate focused on improving systems and processes to deliver better services for our ratepayers and residents, whilst driving economic initiatives to enable regional growth.

Council’s endorsement of the Central Coast Green Grid Plan: