Draft 2028 Community Engagement Report Available For Comment
Published on 19 January 2018
Snowy Valleys Council has released its draft 2028 Engagement Report for community comment following a successful community engagement process in December.
The Engagement Report is a key component that will be used in developing the Council’s first Community Strategic Plan.
General Manager Matthew Hyde has reiterated the significant role that the community has in guiding the strategic direction for Council.
“The extensive consultation undertaken late last year gathered ideas and priorities from the community about the long-term vision for the region. This was a critical phase for the development of the new 2028 Community Strategic Plan,” Mr Hyde said.
More than 170 surveys were completed and 19 written submissions received during the community engagement process which included ten separate town/village workshops and numerous other activities.
“Hundreds of ideas were raised during the consultations. There were some recurring themes such as improvement in telecommunications and road infrastructure, a renewed focus on economic development and tourism, enabling business development across the region and the recognition, preservation and promotion of our unique towns and villages,” Mr Hyde said.
The process of sorting and prioritising the ideas provided by the community is now underway and once completed, will form the strategic directions for the next 10 years for the Local Government Area.
“Snowy Valleys Council has a custodial role in the preparation of the 10 year Community Strategic Plan, but is not solely responsible for its implementation,” Mr Hyde said.
“Once finalised, the Community Strategic Plan will belong to the communities of the Snowy Valleys Council. Council will work in partnership with various community organisations and government agencies to achieve the Snowy Valleys community’s long term goals,” he said.
Mr Hyde said the completion of Snowy Valleys Council’s first Community Strategic Plan (CSP) will be a milestone for the new Council and will set a clear direction for what needs to be achieved over the next ten years.
“Council staff will continue to develop the new draft 2028 Community Strategic Plan with the new Council over the coming months,” Mr Hyde said.
Council is required to adopt the new 2028 Community Strategic Plan and a range of related plans under the Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework by 30 June 2018.
“We also heard that increasing our (Council) communications, reporting back and following through by doing what we say we’re going to do is important. To this end, we are making this initial engagement outcomes report available to the public and asking our community members to check that we’ve captured their aspirations and ideas adequately,” he said.
Council is committed to ensuring that the community has access to the entire community strategic planning process with more engagement activities and opportunities planned for the first half of 2018.
The draft Community Engagement Report is available for review and feedback via the Snowy Valleys Council website – www.snowyvalleys.nsw.gov.au/HaveYourSay and in hardcopy at Council libraries and offices. Community members are also encouraged to contribute ideas and feedback through the dedicated email address [email protected].