Pittwater Life July 2024 Issue

Editorial
Our Council on notice
Northern Beaches Council
staff have been put on
notice to better manage its
spending or risk not having future
annual budgets approved
– leading to the possibility
of Council being placed into
administration.
At Council’s June meeting, its
2024-25 Budget passed by the
barest of margins.
Council CEO Scott Phillips
told the meeting: “Council’s
adoption of a delivery plan is
a core obligation of Council.
In the event Council does not
meet its core obligations and
there is no resolution to that,
one pathway the (Local Government)
Minister has is to put
Council into administration.
“In the event you do not
adopt the budget… Council will
not have the capacity to meet
its obligations to creditors in
the new financial year.”
The closeness of the vote
highlighted the fracture within
the elected Council – with the
six Liberal councillors voting
against the budget.
Liberal Councillor David
Walton said it was concerning
Councillors had received modelling
indicating a Special Rate
Variation of up to 25 per cent
would be required in order to
fund future budgets – almost a
third increase in rates.
But Your Northern Beaches
Independent Team Councillor
Sarah Gratton maintained the
2024-25 budget held an annual
increase of around five per cent,
around $100 per annum for
most households on average.
Let’s wait and see.
* * *
As we went to print we were
saddened to hear of the
passing of local community
icon Ted Blackwood, aged 93.
The Ted Blackwood Narrabeen
Youth and Community
Centre in Warriewood opened
almost 50 years ago; a tribute to
Ted will be published in August.
– Nigel Wall
The Local Voice Since 1991
JULY 2024 3