With the Mayor and councillors to host the first of a series of workshops to help develop the Community Strategic Plan (CSP) at Jamberoo on Monday, Council has released fact sheets to inform the discussion.

All NSW councils are required to develop a 10 year CSP within six months of an election. The long-term plan will identify the main priorities and aspirations of our community and set the strategic agenda for the work of Council over the next 10 years.

The fact sheets follow the recent release of a State of the Organisation report (Council releases warts & all report), cover the following topics, and all end with questions to ponder:

• Blue Haven
• Compliance, Governance, Development Assessment & Planning
• Community Services (including Youth Services)
• Engineering, Capital Works and Waste
• Finance
• Tourism.  

“The CSP workshop sessions will provide the perfect opportunity for the councillors to lead the discussion with the community,” says Ms Stroud

Workshops will be in a format to facilitate discussion. The Mayor and councillors will be supported by staff, to help keep topics on track and take notes.

“It is expected they will be robust and considered conversations about how best to galvanise the resources and vision of the organisation and its community on these core challenges in the longer term. Creating a shared vision for improvement, and course correction is what is critical in this process,” says Ms Stroud.

Mayor Reilly agrees, “The Community Strategic Plan is the community’s chance to envision what they want for their Local Government Area over the next decade. The development of the CSP plan must be informed by strong foundational understanding of business challenges and opportunities.

“We’d like as many people as possible to attend the CSP workshops so we can benefit from their opinions.”

Four workshops have been organised:

• Mon 21 Feb (5.30pm – 8pm): Jamberoo School of Arts
• Wed 23 Feb (5.30pm – 8pm): North Kiama Neighbourhood Centre
• Thur 24 Feb (9.30am – 12pm): Joyce Wheatley Community Centre
• Thur 3 Mar (5.30pm – 8pm): Gerringong Library and Museum (GLaM)

Bookings essential

Those unable to attend one of the workshops are encouraged to complete the CSP online survey