Monday 20 October 2014

Transparent Local Government: Ballina Shire Council regularly does what Clarence Valley Council will not do


This is an excerpt from Ballina Shire Council's Ordinary Monthly Meeting agenda paper for 24 April 2014:
Note that the information is provided in open council so that it is available to the public, including local residents and ratepayers.

Ballina Shire Council appears to have been providing legal matters updates in open council since at least 2012 with no ill effect.

This is an excerpt from Clarence Valley Council's Corporate, Governance & Works Committee business paper for 14 October 2014:

Item 14.107/14 had a confidential report attached for councillors eyes only. 

From a question* asked at this committee meeting it was obvious that two legal matters** had either been vaguely outlined in the confidential report or omitted entirely. 

It seems that elected councillors are almost as deeply in the dark as local residents and ratepayers.

The difference in approach between Ballina Shire and Clarence Valley councils is striking.

* Clarence Valley Council audio live streams its ordinary monthly and committee meetings.
** Both legal matter cited in the question involved Clarence Valley Council being taken to court by the applicants.

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