New South Wales council City of Newcastle is to undergo an independent review of its processes, procedures and performance.
“The goal is to objectively assess our current practices and identify areas for potential improvement,” Newcastle Lord Mayor Ross Kerridge said.
“This review is not about restructuring or reducing council operations but about providing independent assurance of our performance and compliance with regulated obligations,” he added.
The review’s terms of reference – on which community members are invited to provide submissions and feedback – cover five themes:
- general governance – assessing the adequacy of council’s general governance processes
- financial governance – assessing the adequacy of council’s financial governance processes
- compliance – assessing council’s compliance against key legislative requirements
- engagement – assessing council’s processes to engage the community
- major projects – assessing council’s governance of major projects.
The review – which received a unanimous vote in December – will be conducted by Davidson Business Advisory, a consultancy firm that has worked with more than 100 local governments across Australia.
“I am pleased that we are moving forward with this important review and that it offers the opportunity for community submissions and feedback on the scope,” Kerridge said. “Davidson Business Advisory has established a secure portal for this input to be lodged directly with them and this mechanism enables respondents to opt for their submission to be treated as confidential if they wish.”
The review findings will be presented to council later this year. Kerridge is confident that, once released, the report will uphold public trust and enhance the governance of Newcastle. “I am committed to ensuring transparency, accountability, and excellence in our government,” he said.
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