On 14 September residents will be asked to approve a reduction in councillors from 15 to 9, noting this will result in a likely reduction of wards from 5 to 3.
A reduction in wards and the number of councillors of this magnitude will:
· Widen the gap between residents and elected representatives
· Limit residents’ ability to access local leaders
· Deliver Liberal domination of Woollahra Council and
· Threaten community representation by eradicating diversity
· The cost of living reasons mooted by the Liberals for this massive electoral change simply don’t add up. The cost saving of six Councillors is 130K per annum whereas the total cost of implementing such a change is in the millions.
· The advantages of 15 councillors cannot be quantified and not should never be underestimated. Our local democracy depends on this representation.
· As Greens we believe in the value of local representation and understand that diversity is a crucial component of democracy. We made this argument during the fight against forced amalgamations and made the case for why wards matter and the diverse nature of Woollahra requires this kind of fine grain, grassroots representation.
· More Greens on Council will ensure our local democracy thrives into the future and serves the diverse needs of our community.