Liverpool Council: Ned Mannoun, Nathan Hagarty square off over advice proposal

A southwest Sydney council is forging ahead with a proposal for ratepayers to fund independent legal advice for individual councillors, a move slammed as “ripe for abuse”. Have your say.

A proposal for a southwest Sydney council to use ratepayers money to fund independent legal advice for individual councillors has been slammed as “fundamentally bad policy” and “ripe for abuse”.

A motion, put forward by Liverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun and titled ‘Leading in Good Governance Practices, would see Liverpool Council develop a policy to allow councillors to have access to independent external professional advice, funded by ratepayers.

Liberal Mayor Ned Mannoun told the Liverpool Leader said the policy would allow councillors to get “a second opinion”, adding ratepayers suffer the consequences of bad decisions.

“We want to win the Premier League, win the Champions League. We want the best of the best here,” he said.

But for Labor councillor Nathan Hagarty, the policy is a blank cheque for councillors to get advice from the most expensive barristers, consultants and QCs in Australia and bill ratepayers for the privilege.

Liverpool councillor Nathan Hagarty. Picture: Supplied

“No other council in NSW has a policy like this,” Mr Hagarty said. “It‘s too open ended, and too open for abuse. If the mayor and councillors want individual legal advice, they can follow current protocols and use their individual funds.

“What stops a bunch of councillors getting their mates to provide legal, planning and accounting advice on every item on the agenda?”

Liverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun at Liberty Tower. Picture: Daily Telegraph/Monique Harmer

That view is shared by council staff, who were against the proposal, and the Office of Local Government, which was also against the proposal.

When those views were put to Mayor Mannoun, he said: “I believe they are wrong”.

“Staff have an agenda. You want to put faith in the staff, but nobody is perfect,” he said.

The mayor shared the example of the Young Adults Disabled Association, a 40-year-old charity which he said Liverpool Council took to court under advice from its legal team.

“I went and got my own independent legal advice, they said it was nonsensical,” Mr Mannoun said.

He admitted NSW councils already have the ability to fund independent professional advice, and quite regularly do, as a majority group decision.

He said his proposal was for circumstances when individual councillors are against the will of the group.

“People shouldn’t be scared of a second opinion,” Mr Mannoun said. “Let’s see the policy and go from there.”

An Office of Local Government spokesman said there were concerns with the proposed policy of Liverpool Council.

“The guidelines only permit councils to pay councillors’ legal expenses in limited circumstances,” he said.

“Should the application of the proposed policy become inconsistent with Office of Local Government guidelines around the payment of expenses and provision of facilities for mayors and councillors, appropriate action will be taken.”