Melbourne City Council meeting lasts only 13 minutes after conflict of interest issue

A CITY of Melbourne meeting went for only 13 minutes after an agenda item couldn’t be discussed due to a lack of councillors.

A MELBOURNE City Council meeting lasted only 13 minutes after an agenda item had to be abandoned due to a lack of councillors.

Only six of 11 councillors turned up for last night’s Future Melbourne committee meeting which was to consider three reports.

However, the number was reduced to four councillors when two, Deputy Lord Mayor Arron Wood and Cr Beverley Pinder, excused themselves from discussing a Southbank heritage report due to a donation-related conflict of interest.

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Deputy Lord Mayor Arron Wood. Picture: News Corp Australia

This resulted in a lack of quorum, which meant the agenda item couldn’t be considered at this or future meetings.

The council’s City Strategy and Place Director Claire Ferres Miles told the meeting that under the rules she had been delegated to decide on the report, and would do so substantially in accordance with management’s recommendation.

Former state Liberal MP Clem Newton-Brown was one of two people who had intended to address the meeting on the Southbank heritage issue, but were unable to.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp. Picture: AAP

Lord Mayor Sally Capp closed the meeting after it ran only 13 minutes.

“It’s not a record, but it’s still been a very efficient meeting reflecting only a small number of items on the agenda,” she said.

The five councillors who were absent were Cr Cathy Oke, Cr Nicholas Frances-Gilley, Cr Kevin Louey, Cr Nicholas Reece and Cr Susan Riley.

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