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THE WA Government is to set up a new Local Government Inspector to monitor local councils under new reforms that passed state parliament.
An Office of the Inspector is to be with greater powers to oversee, and intervene quickly in, local councils, the government says.
It says the office will employ monitors to work “proactively” with council needing help or closer scrutiny to proactively manage emerging issues.
The Bill also overhauls the current complaints system under a second parcel of local government reforms promised by the state government.
The new reforms will:
- clarify the roles of mayors, presidents, councillors and council CEOs;
- require councils to adopt a rates and revenue policy and increase public transparency about rate increases;
- ensure audit, risk and improvement committees have an independent chairperson to be rotated between councils;
- require councils to document the reasons for closing part of a meeting to the public while reducing such meetings;
- share CEOs and senior employees around councils;
- deny allowances to council staff who fail to complete mandatory training;
- prevent the use of council funds for staff’s personal legal expenses; and
- streamline the making of local laws.
WA Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley says that education, collaboration and early intervention will be the focus of the new Local Government inspectorate.
“Issues within a local government are (to be) addressed at an early stage to prevent the need for escalation and the costs associated with lengthy investigations,” he says.
“I acknowledge the significant contributions elected members and council administrators make to WA communities, the vast majority of whom are incredibly diligent, hardworking and motivated by a desire to deliver better outcomes for their communities and important services.
“It’s essential that public confidence in our local governments is maintained and through these reforms there will be stronger powers and greater penalties available if and when needed.”
