Councillors divided on chamber seating plan: ‘This is a shambles’

The seating arrangements for today’s full council meeting are being branded a “shambles” with only a select group of councillors given access inside the Evandale Chamber.

THE seating arrangements for today’s full council meeting are being branded a “shambles” after a select group of councillors will be given exclusive access inside the Evandale Chamber.

The Bulletin is aware of tensions among councillors as the seating plan, which takes in safety measures for COVID-19, surfaced without their input.

Seating plan for the Gold Coast City Council chamber as precautions taken for COVID-19.

Under the new seat up, all the new councillors — Mark Hammel, Brooke Patterson, Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden and Darren Taylor — will be inside the chamber with Mayor Tom Tate.

The only councillors with them will be Deputy Mayor Donna Gates, Hermann Vorster and planning committee chair Cameron Caldwell.

A seating plan shows councillors Pauline Young, Gail O’Neill, Bob La Castra and William Owen-Jones will be in council’s media room. Journalists can live stream the meeting outside.

The plan suggests Councillor Glenn Tozer will be on Skype somewhere in the chambers.

Both councillors Peter Young and Daphne McDonald are hooked up on a computer feed to their divisional offices.

Councillors Tozer, Peter Young and McDonald recently missed out on major committee positions and are viewed as being strong opponents to Mayor Tate. All the new councillors were given deputy posts.

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Live streaming of Gold Coast City Council committee meetings.

A council insider said the seating arrangement led to fiery email exchanges yesterday between some councillors and senior bureaucrats.

A councillor told a senior officer the arrangements were “extraordinary” and at no time was it mooted that councillors would be permitted in the chamber.

The council meeting was advertised as a “virtual meeting”, and the councillor asked how was it determined only a few colleagues would be inside the chamber.

The council source said one councillor had to get his laptop replaced to set-up for the meeting.

The councillor told a senior bureaucrat: “What a shambles.”

Live streaming of councillors at a Gold Coast City Council planning committee meeting.

The council source said bureaucrats were advised of the set up and councillors believed the arrangements were set up by the mayor’s office.

A councillor told several officers: “I gather the Mayor has determined the seating arrangements.”

The seating plan shows temperature testing stations outside the chamber and other safety measures so officers can attend the meeting.

Some councillors were later advised by senior staffers that they could attend an office within the chamber building to be part of the meeting which starts at 9.30am today.

The Bulletin is seeking comment from council.