Council is dedicated to fostering a culture of meaningful community engagement to achieve better and more sustainable outcomes for our municipality.
The Community Engagement Strategy(PDF, 1MB) was adopted on Tuesday 18 June and provides a practical framework for delivering meaningful and measurable community engagement while amplifying the diversity of community voices.
How we got here
Phase 1: Consultation (Co-design)
Between 13 March and 2 April 2024, we invited you to help us shape the Draft Community Engagement Strategy.
The Co-design Phase saw engagement with more than 1,000 locals and stakeholders to understand their preferences for engaging with Council, as well as setting out how Council will engage with the community.
What we heard:
- The most popular methods for community members to receive Council information were via local newspapers, Council’s e-newsletter, Council website and social media platforms
- Surveys, emails, quick polls, and talking to Council staff at community pop-ups are preferred mediums to share your views and ideas with Council
- There is a preference for a combination of online and face-to-face engagement opportunities, for Council to meet community where they are at and reach a diversity of voices
- Some expressed a need for Council to build trust via improved accountability and transparency in engagement
- Council needs to build staff capacity and provide practical engagement tools to deliver more consistent and meaningful engagement that clearly communicates the level of community influence
- Closing the loop by communicating outcomes and fulfilling commitments is important to ensure you feel heard.
See the Community Engagement Report - Phase 1(PDF, 1MB) for a full summary of the feedback and insights received during the Community Consultation.
Phase 2: Consultation (Public Exhibition)
Between 17 April - 17 May 2024, we asked you to review and have your say on our Draft Community Engagement Strategy before we made it final.
We received 13 submissions during the public exhibition period, hosted four community pop-ups and engaged with youth of all ages, staff attended a Council-hosted developer industry forum, presented the strategy to the Jamberoo Valley Residents and Ratepayers Association (by invitation) and held two Disability Inclusion Focus Group discussions.
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Community told us:
- Meet community where they are to be more visible and reach a greater diversity of voices.
- Clear and transparent communication on the purpose of engagement, timeline and the extent of community influence on decisions.
- Close the loop through timely follow-up communications tailored to the audience, detailing progress, outcomes, how input was used and fulfilment of commitments.
- Community pop-ups with relevant staff are a popular, informal and effective way for the community to interact with Council staff.
- Collaborate with youth and other underrepresented groups to co-design and implement engagement activities that are relevant and accessible to them.
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Staff told us:
- Significant barriers to overcome include limited resources and budget and required organisational /systems transformation.
- Provide clarity on roles and responsibilities for all stages of community engagement.
- Build staff capacity and provide practical tools.
- Consider the time required to effectively plan, design, implement and report on community engagement.
- Continuously evaluate community engagement activities to ensure the program effectively meets community needs.
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Engagement preferences
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Receive Council information:
Multiple mediums, with a preference for:
- Local newspapers
- Regular e-newsletter
- Rates notice/brochure in letterbox
- Council’s social media pages
- Council website
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Provide Council with input:
Multiple mediums, with a preference for:
- Filling out a survey
- Writing a letter or email
- Community pop-ups
- Quick online polls
- Phone call
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Interested to be engaged on:
- Town planning and development (65%)
- Opportunities to provide feedback on Council projects (48%)
- Environment and land/coastal management (35%)
- Parks, venues, playgrounds, recreational facilities (34%)
- Roadworks and infrastructure (26%)
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See the Community Engagement Report - Phase 2(PDF, 2MB) for a full summary of the feedback and insights received during the Public Exhibition.
What's next
Now the Community Engagement Strategy is adopted, Council will implement the strategy, using it as a practical framework for our community engagement activities.
Council staff will continue engaging with the community through Community pop-ups, where Council staff are stationed at various high-traffic locations across the Municipality during peak times, offering a casual setting for residents to chat with Council staff throughout the year. See our Community Engagement Schedule(PDF, 69KB).
After the 2024 Local Government Election in September, the newly elected Council will once again review the strategy.