‘Shameful: The Northern Beaches councillors who voted for 40 per cent rate hike
Seven “independents” from the same political party and one member of the Greens voted in favour of lifting Northern Beaches council rates by 39.6 per cent. Residents have called for them to resign.
NSW
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These are the people who rubber-stamped a crippling blow for residents and small business owners on the Northern Beaches.
Eight local councillors — comprising seven ‘independents’ and a member of the Greens — voted on Tuesday night to move ahead with a whopping 39.6 per cent rate rise over three years.
It’s a decision which will see household rates increase by $678 per year. This is not The Daily Telegraph’s estimate, rather official figures from council.
The majority of the votes required to approve the rate hike were from councillors representing the ‘Your Northern Beaches Independent Team’, which despite its name, is a registered political party.
Six of the party’s seven councillors voted in favour of the rate rise - Mayor Sue Heins, Deputy Mayor Ruth Robins plus Sarah Grattan, Rowie Dillon, Jody Williams and Nicholas Beaugeard.
The seventh and eighth votes required for the rate rise to proceed came from Candy Bingham - a representative of the ‘Good for Manly’ party and Greens councillor Miranda Korzy — who labelled criticism of her bureaucracy as “attacks from neoliberals.”
The independent party’s website, featuring photos of each member of the ‘Your Northern Beaches Independent Team’, states they are focused on local issues including:
• ‘Supporting our small businesses’
• ‘Spending money wisely’
• ‘Authentic community based and independent decision making’
Many angry locals at Tuesday’s council meeting pondered how a political party claiming to be ”spending money wisely” is currently overseeing an annual wage bill of $160 million, including $25 million for executives, directors and managers alone.
It has also been pointed out that the party in favour of “authentic community based decision making” voted in favour of hiking rates based on a rushed 55 day survey, which attracted just 6300 respondents, with only 17 per cent of people supporting the idea.
And in regards to “supporting our small businesses”?
The council’s own estimates say a rate hike of 39.6 per cent will cost the average Northern Beaches business an extra $1600 a year.
James Brown, Liberal candidate for the federal seat of Mackellar said small businesses are “struggling” and “giving them that sort of rate rise could be the difference between whether the business folds or whether it continues to thrive in the community”.
“It’s going to crush people. There are a lot of people on the Beaches who are just holding on by their fingernails”, Mr Brown said.
The seventh and eighth votes required for the rate rise to proceed came from Candy Bingham - a representative of the ‘Good for Manly’ party and Greens councillor Miranda Korzy — who labelled criticism of her bureaucracy as “attacks from neoliberals.”
This masthead has approached each of the eight councillors who voted to hike rates on Tuesday night.
Mr Beaugeard conceded they had “done a really poor job on community consultation” and the council needed to examine its own costs.
However Mr Beaugeard said a smaller rate increase risked cuts to stormwater services and even “closing our ocean pools”.
When asked how a small business would shoulder a $1600 increase given already crippling energy and rent prices, Mr Beaugeard replied:
”Northern Beaches Council isn’t immune to that. We give a bunch of support and help people grow their businesses. But I hear it. I hear that they are hurting,” Mr Beaugeard said.
‘RESIGN … SHAMEFUL’: ANGRY LOCALS ATTEND CHAOTIC COUNCIL MEETING
After four excruciating hours, countless jeers and insults and a phone call to police, Northern Beaches residents received the result they knew was coming.
Their council will be formally applying to increase rates by 39.6 per cent over three years.
The motion passed just before 10pm with a narrow margin of eight votes to seven. It’s worth noting Mayor Sue Heins voted in favour of the whopping increase.
That could perhaps be where this news story should end.
But it barely scratches the surface on what unfolded inside the Warringah Civic Centre in Dee Why on Tuesday night.
The council chambers descended at times into chaos, with hundreds of furious residents arriving to voice their anger at a proposal that will increase residential rates by an average of $673 per year.
On many occasions throughout proceedings - the crowd launched a volley of jeers on its elected officials:
“Resign … you work for us!”
“Stop the waste … cut your own budgets first.”
“This is shameful … you all should be ashamed of yourself.”
One woman carried a pair of Maracas — which she would passionately shake whenever someone made a favourable comment.
Any mention of a major rate rise was met with a chorus of boos that wouldn’t have been out of place on the hill at nearby Brookvale Oval.
When the interruptions continued, Mayor Sue Heins channelled a primary school teacher: “can we please have a bit of respect. If you’re finding it difficult to keep quiet then maybe think about going for a walk and coming back.”
The recent history of this eye-watering rate rise provides some understanding of the white-hot anger across the Peninsula.
The council ran a community survey, titled ‘Funding our Future’ between November and January for a total of just 55 days. During this time it warned of a $90 million black hole from the COVID-19 pandemic, blowouts in construction and natural disaster recovery would all impact its ability to provide basic services.
The survey received 6300 submissions from the public — which represents fewer than one in 10 ratepayers in the LGA.
Of that small sample size in response, only 11 per cent of residents supported what was known as ‘Option 3’ — a proposal to lift rates over three years by 39.6 per cent.
But in a masterclass of political spin, council bureaucrats claimed ‘Option 3’ was in fact the most appropriate to secure “long term financial sustainability”.
Meanwhile, the council’s own operating expenses have ballooned.
Their annual wage bill has grown from $121 million to $160 million in seven years. Employee salaries are worth 40 per cent of the budget.
They boast 1300 staff, including 111 senior executives, managers and directors taking home a combined $25 million.
The council spends $13 million on IT and communications, $3.3 million on private vehicles, $1.5 million on marketing and another $1.2 million on printing and stationery.
Many of these expenses were raised by councillor Vincent De Luca on Tuesday night, who forensically grilled underprepared council staff at length, much to the enjoyment of the large audience.
Indeed, it is correct that many of these budget items would be of little benefit to the “struggling” council’s money woes.
But when you have forced your voters to do the heavy lifting — with an eventual yearly rate increase of $673 for each house and $1600 for small business — well, people are going to take a good hard look at your books.
Jenny, a long-time Narrabeen resident described the council as “so top heavy. How can they sit there … and a lot of us are struggling already … my kids, my grandkids. This is going to send some people the wall”.
“We (already) pay instalments of $430 per quarter. I’m 66-years-old, still working full time. We have a small mortgage. It’s ridiculous’ Jenny said.
In addressing the council meeting, resident Mark Horton said: “I cannot afford the rate rise. I am paying my rates by instalment. I’ve got a limited income and I’m worried about it”.
Politicians at all levels have shared their views on the financial situation at Northern Beaches Council in recent days. Few would have been brave enough to show their face at last night’s circus.
With the meeting now running for more than three hours, it was time for one final act.
During her allocated time, Councillor Miranda Korzy fired back at the criticism of bureaucratic staff and local government services.
”I’m going to be very clear, this is part of a neoliberal attack,” she said.
That comment brought members of the crowd to their feet in fury:
“Disgusting … shame … disgrace … sack them all”.
One resident then repeatedly interrupted proceedings by asking why Scott Phillips, the $544,000 council CEO, had not been required to answer questions from the floor. The woman refused to leave the chamber — prompting staff to ring local police — although the incident had largely resolved itself before their arrival.
The vote the crowd had been waiting for took place at 9.55pm, narrowly gathering enough votes. Council will now ask the Independent Pricing and Regulator Tribunal (IPART) to lift rates by 39.6 per cent over three years.
Having cemented a crippling blow to residents and business owners, Sue Heins had one final message to the ratepayers in attendance:
”Thank you everyone, one and all. It’s been a kind of long night on one very important topic. Um … and … wish you well.”
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