NSW Small Business report into Wingecarribee Shire reveals local frustration with “inflexible” council
A scathing report into the experience of Southern Highlands small business owners reveals the majority of them feel embattled Wingecarribee Council had let them down.
The Bowral News
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The majority of small business owners feel Wingecarribee Council has “let them down”, lacked vision and was the most difficult agency to deal with, a scathing report has found.
The NSW Small Business Commissioner Chris Lamont has released a report detailing the experiences of local businesses with the council and found the majority of these businesses were very dissatisfied with the economic development in the area and rated it almost twice as difficult as the Australian Taxation Office.
Nearly half the respondents rated dealing with council as a challenge for their business, and a quarter cited development applications as an impediment. This reflects the findings of a 2018 survey conducted by Business Illawarra, which found 83 per cent of respondents felt council interactions were harmful to their business.
The report said many Southern Highlands businesses said the council had an antagonistic approach to small business and didn’t appreciate the estimated $3 billion value of the local business contribution to the NSW economy.
It also highlighted the concerns from many business owners about the inconsistency of the council’s approach to development applications - the Small Business Commission found Wingecarribee Council took 26 days longer than comparative local governments to process DAs.
Small businesses make up 98 per cent of the local businesses in the Wingecarribee Shire and generate nearly 23,000 local jobs, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Mr Lamont said the report’s finding were unusual.
“Dealing with local council was the most complicated experience for businesses,” he said.
“That’s a unique position to be in.”
Mr Lamont said a key development plan for the region had entirely omitted references to small business.
“There is a regional economic strategy that doesn’t mention small business once,” he said.
Mr Lamont said his report had found council staff weren’t adequately informed about the processes or their responsibilities.
“A lot of what we saw was a lack of knowledge from council, it wasn’t wilful,” he said.
In the report, businesses took aim at the “inflexible” council and cited problems with a lack of transparency, decision-making, communication, customer service, strategic planning, tendering opportunities, event applications, infrastructure and affordable housing.
The report said local businesses believe the council lacks vision for the future and reported being met with “incompetence, apathy or hostility” when attempting to clarify unclear council information or decisions. The Small Business Commissioner was told council communication was “too little too late”.
Steve Horton, Southern Highlands Chamber of Commerce chairman, said the report accurately represented how the community felt about the council.
“A lot of people felt they’d been let down by council,” he said.
The report provides 20 recommendations for improving the relationship between the council and small businesses, which focused on three areas: improving communication, enhancing approval processes, and building opportunities for business development.
The recommendations include the establishment of a small business reference group, a comprehensive communications strategy, and business-focused planning instruments.
NSW Small Business Minister Damien Tudehope said businesses would greatly benefit from the suggestion to train council employees in their duties and responsibilities under the Local Government Act.
“The really core recommendation of the report is about training of officials and council staff about having a pro-customer approach,” he said.
The Small Business Commissioner said the report would be a blueprint for improving council/business relations in the Southern Highlands.
“It’s a report that should provide guidance for council and for business to actually bring about meaningful change,” he said.
Mr Lamont told the gathered business owners he had heard their anger and frustration with the council.
“I can’t guarantee that the recommendations in themselves will fix it … but the actions that you guys can take and the representations to council in the future will hopefully make a difference,” he said.
Both Mr Lamont and Minister Tudehope emphasised the importance of local chambers of commerce in affecting the recommendations and improving small business prospects.
“Strong local chambers of commerce are one of the best vehicles you have for driving change,” Mr Tudehope said.
He told the gathering many of the recommendations weren’t legislative, so the onus for ensuring their success was with the community and their votes.
“This is a report which is about culture and culture change is brought by local communities and local elected representatives,” he said.
Mr Lamont echoed this sentiment when he told The Bowral News the changes in executive staff would help to improve the council relationship with business.
“Some stability in the executive and the council itself … will make a big difference,” he said.
Council’s Interim Administrator Mr Viv May PSM said the results of the report “clearly weren’t good enough”.
“I’ve asked the General Manager to work with staff and the community to fast-track a response that delivers better services for our small businesses,” he said.
“It’s imperative Council support small business opportunities, at the same time, I want to provide the incoming Council with a clear pathway to ensure we don’t repeat our mistakes.”
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