Kiama Council may have two fewer elected representatives in the future after one of its current Councillors lodged a notice of motion to reduce the number of Councillors from nine to seven.

Councillor Mark Croxford lodged the motion, saying that reducing the number of Councillors would improve Council’s efficiency and effectiveness, as well as save $43,460 per annum that could be better spent on delivering services.

 Kiama’s population is significantly lower than neighbouring Councils but has a much smaller ratio of residents compared to the number of Councillors.

According to data for the 2021 financial year from a NSW Government report called Your Council, Wollongong had 16,637 residents for each Councillor, Shellharbour had 8,695 residents per Councillor and Shoalhaven had 8,417 people per Councillor. By comparison, Kiama has 2,598 residents per Councillor.

"Kiama is classified as a Group 4 Council, along with 25 other Councils in the same classification,” Councillor Croxford says.

"Analysis of other Group 4 Councils indicates that Kiama may be considered overrepresented compared to other Councils in the same group.”

Councillor Croxford says he also considered reducing the number of Councillors from nine to five, but landed on seven because it strikes the right balance between efficiency and representation. Having seven Councillors would result in a ratio of 3,384 residents per Councillor, bringing it much closer in line with neighbouring Councils. He added that five Councillors could streamline decision-making even further but could limit effective representation.

If the motion is successful and passes all regulatory hurdles, it won’t be until the 2028 local Government election that the Councillor headcount is reduced.

The motion first needs to be put to the public for a 42-day consultation. Any submissions the Council receives in that time will help inform its debate.

Council must vote on a resolution 12 months before the next local Government election takes place, which is expected to be held 15 September 2024, in order to allow the NSW Election Commission time to provide the Kiama LGA with a referendum on the changes to Councillor numbers for that 2024 election.

Council is expected to vote on whether to approve the motion at its August Council meeting. If successful, Council will provide a summary of the motion as well as public consultation submissions to the NSW Minister for Local Government before being handed to the NSW Electoral Commission. If the referendum is approved, it will come into effect at the next local Government election, which will take place in 2028.