Local council
Fight over festival grant awarded to ‘charity’ with links to councillor
Kingston council has denied wrongdoing over a decision to award $75,000 to a religious group that has a sitting councillor on its executive committee.
- by Rachael Dexter
Latest
Residents’ plea to scrap Chapel St pub’s outdoor area ignored by council
The Wolf Windsor has been put on notice to improve conditions for Eastbourne Street residents who continue to find urine and broken bottles outside their homes.
- by Sophie Aubrey
Out of the loop: The questions councils desperately want answered on ‘nebulous’ SRL
A trio of councils say the rail loop project will reshape their suburbs but the government won’t release even basic details about the changes.
- by Patrick Hatch
New lord mayor to target ‘completely unacceptable’ safety issues, cleanliness
Nick Reece has been sworn in as lord mayor, but it’s just a few months until the next City of Melbourne elections and he’s yet to announce a run for the top post.
- by Cara Waters and Sophie Aubrey
Exclusive
IBAC
Cash for access: Councillors ask corruption watchdog to investigate scheme
Most Port Phillip councillors want IBAC to investigate a donation scheme set up to fund a community group that financially backs two of their colleagues.
- by Annika Smethurst and Kieran Rooney
Build it and they’ll keep coming: The playground that kids asked for
A Melbourne council keen to redevelop a beloved adventure playground ran consultation workshops with kids. Here’s what the youngsters asked for.
- by Sophie Aubrey
The country town that’s set to double in population
It’s a sleepy town just beyond Melbourne’s northern outskirts where geese stop traffic and there is a country feel – but a big change could be coming.
- by Benjamin Preiss
Former Labor councillor avoids jail for vote tampering
Milad El-Halabi was sentenced on Thursday almost four years after a local election in Melbourne’s north-west was caught up in a vote-rigging saga.
- by Rachel Eddie
Councils pitch flexible rates to tackle ‘alarming’ funding woes
Struggling councils say services will be cut and infrastructure will deteriorate if they don’t have more say over rate rises.
- by Rachael Dexter
Opinion
City life
State Library should stay open at night for booze-free chats
Melbourne needs more third places. After 6pm, the library should say “laptops away” and turn the space from study zone into a place for booze-free conversation.
- by Simon Taylor
Council slams being shut out by state over plan for $1.6b tower project
A mayor in Melbourne’s east says her council only learnt that the planning minister had approved a huge development project when staff saw a news report.
- by Sophie Aubrey
Original URL: https://www.theage.com.au/topic/melbourne-councils-5za