CALLING FOR TRANSPARENCY IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF CLARENCE VALLEY COUNCIL
- by: Ursula Tunks
- recipient: NSW Local Government Minister, The Hon. Paul Toole, MP
EXTRACT OF THE MINUTES OF THE CLARENCE VALLEY COUNCIL MEETING 16th October 2014 (as reported in the Clarence Valley Review) At last week’s council meeting, Cr Toms questioned why two names of people involved in legal action with the council were not disclosed to councillors. “They can be found on the Lawlink website,” she said. Councillor Toms later told the Review that the councillors “have never been told about those cases [before receiving the report] … and we get a confidential report with the names not disclosed”. “Why are they being withheld in a confidential document when it’s on the public record? It’s absurd that we can’t be told,” she said. The Clarence Valley Review put a series of questions to the general manager, Scott Greensill, through the council’s media officer – a request to interview Mr Greensill was not forthcoming. He responded indirectly with the following statement: “Clarence Valley Council general manager, Scott Greensill, said he had acted on advice from the council’s insurers that council, and therefore ratepayers, would be exposed to unnecessary risk of litigation if the information was published. “He said the insurer’s advice was received between the July and October meetings, so council acted on that advice and made the attachments confidential after the July meeting. “He said the linkage to Our Community Plan in the business paper was not a requirement, but was included to help those reading the business paper understand how matters up for discussion related to the council’s 10-year plan. “In many cases they related to several themes in the Our Community Plan and those putting the business paper together listed the linkages they thought most relevant. “He said the Clarence Valley Council made its own decisions about what to and what not to publish based on the expert advice of its staff and external advisers. “Its decisions were not determined by the actions of other councils.” (HELISMA, Geoff: Clarence Valley Review, Wednesday, October 29, 2014) The Insurance Company is not a Rate Payer, and even if it were it is only one rate payer among tens of thousands. It's opinion holds no relevance to the opinion of all other rate payers. We demand transparency and accountability in the management and decision making processes of Clarence Valley Council.
Dear Minister Toole,
The Clarence Valley Council is withholding vital information from the Clarence Valley Community by way of failing to provide the details of current legal actions being taken against the Clarence Valley Council, who are the representatives of the Clarence Valley Ratepayers, therefore this action is effectively being taking against us.
The General Manager, Scott Greensill, has based his decision to withhold information from Councillors, and therefore the Ratepayers, based on advice he has personally received from the Clarence Valley Insurers. Yet General Manager Greensill appears to be unable to produce this advice in 'written form'.
Sadly the residents, ratepayers and business people of the Clarence Valley have experienced far too many incidents of this lack of transparency in the governance of OUR community and OUR rates.
We petition you to act and to direct the General Manager of the Clarence Valley Council, Scott Greensill, to immediately disclose to Council and his employers, the Rate Payers of the Clarence Valley, the details of ALL legal actions being taken against the Clarence Valley Council.
We further petition you to conduct an audit of the Governance and Management of the Clarence Valley Council to identify any other failures in the administration that are preventing the Clarence Valley Community from having access to ethical, accountable and transparent management of our community assets and our financial contributions to these assets.
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