Draft Community Engagement Strategy 2025-2028
At the Ordinary Council Meeting held on Wednesday 26 February 2025 the Council endorsed the draft Community Engagement Strategy 2025 - 2028 for placing on public exhibition for a period of 28 days from Monday 3 March to Monday 31 March 2025.
RESOLVED
That Council;
a. Place the Armidale Regional Council Community Engagement Strategy 2025-2028 on Public Exhibition for 28 days from Monday 3 March to Monday 31 March.
b. Engages with the Armidale region, during the public exhibition period, on their preferred methods of communication for council news and initiatives and include in a refreshed Community Engagement Strategy.
c. That councillors and staff collaborate on improved digital systems to allow residents to report problems, receive feedback and increase participation in all forms of engagements.
Councils are required to review the Community Engagement Strategy within three months of the ordinary elections. It supports the development of all their plans, policies, programs, and key activities - including those relating to Integrated Planning and Reporting, as well as strategic plans and programs required under other legislation. Councils have a vital role to play in opening opportunities for community members to be involved in the strategic planning process. The Community Engagement Strategy outlines the guiding principles and approach for ensuring the community has an opportunity to have their say in a meaningful way.
Councils in NSW are required to have a Community Engagement Strategy for how they will engage the community in creating and reviewing the Community Strategic Plan (CSP). The strategy must be based on social justice principles, identifying relevant stakeholder groups in the community, outline the methods that the council will use to engage each of these groups and allow sufficient time to effectively undertake the engagement.
Even though it is a statutory requirement for a Community Engagement Strategy to be created when developing a council’s CSP this strategy seeks to broaden that scope to cover all of council’s engagement activities when developing and delivering projects and initiatives.
This strategy outlines the methodology council will adopt when preparing to engage with the community and assist residents and other council stakeholders to understand how and when council will engage on issues that affect their future.
Submissions are invited and must be addressed to:
The General Manager
Armidale Regional Council
PO Box 75A
Armidale, NSW 2350
Submissions can be made via hard copy at one of council's offices: 135 Rusden Street, Armidale; or 158 Bradley Street, Guyra), or in electronic format via email to: council@armidale.nsw.gov.au
Submissions must be received by 11.59pm Monday 31 March 2025.
Please be aware that if you make a submission, other people may have access to your comments. This may be as a result of a report to a Council meeting or as part of an application under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009. Further details including disclosure forms are available on request from council.
