About Canterbury City Council
Canterbury City Council administers a local government area of 33.4 square kms, covering 16 Sydney suburbs. For electoral purposes, the area is divided into three wards, each represented by three elected Councillors. The Mayor is elected by popular vote. Council employs staff under the control of a General Manager.
Mission
'Canterbury - A Great Place To Live And Work'
Goals and Core Values
- Community Leadership
- Quality Customer Service
- Environmental Responsibility
- Technical Excellence
- Prudent Financial Control
Principles
Beliefs
- To serve our citizens
- to give quality service in all our works
- to respect people as individuals
Ethics
- we will abide by all our government laws and regulations
- we will be fair and honest in our dealings
- no employee, Councillor or their family members will accept a personal gift or favour, based on a business arrangement between the giver and Council
- our Council will not contribute to political parties or candidates
- we will maintain appropriate confidentiality of Council's records
Business Principles
- we will focus on our customer's needs
- we are committed to continual improvement of our processes and quality of our service
- we will encourage innovation in all our service delivery
- we will use objective data to meet the overall priorities of our customers
Quality Principles
- ensuring our works & services meet our customer's requirements & needs
- continually improving our Council to make it more efficient
- involving all stakeholders in the quality improvement process
- managing our processes through statistical measurement
Committed to involving our Stakeholders
- citizens and ratepayers
- local businesses
- council staff
- external contact
- users of services
- suppliers
- other spheres of government
How to get involved in Council
Council has two main meetings: Committees and Ordinary Council. All meetings are held on Thursday nights and residents are welcome.
Standing Committee Meetings
Committee Meetings commence at 7.30pm, and are usually held two weeks before the Ordinary Council meeting.
City Services Committee: work programs, capital expenditure projects, community facilities, community services and financial matters.
City Development Committee: building and development applications, rezoning applications and local environmental plans.
Ordinary Council Meetings
Ordinary Council meets monthly on a Thursday evening at 7.30pm, to make final decisions on the committees' recommendations and consider other matters.
What's going to be discussed at Committee and Council meetings?
Business papers, outlining the agenda and topics for discussion, are available for public viewing at all libraries and the Administration Centre on the Monday before the meetings. Copies are also available at the meetings for residents.
How to have your say in council
You can address the committees or council meetings if you have a matter of concern about an agenda item. You need to make a written request to the General Manager by 12 noon on the day of the meeting. For further information please phone 9789 9534.
Where are the meetings held?
All meetings are held in the Council Chambers, 2nd Floor, Administration Centre, 137 Beamish Street, Campsie. Parking is available at the rear of the building via Shakespeare Street.
Role of Councillors
Like Federal and State levels of government, residents go to the polls to elect the people they want to represent them in their local government area. Local government elections are held on the 2nd Saturday of September every 4th year, the next to be held in 2016. You can find out more by visiting the Electoral Commission of NSW website at http://www.elections.nsw.gov.au/local_government_elections.
Councillors' duties include attending Council and committee meetings, going to on-site inspections and being accessible to residents. They are responsible for making major decisions and deciding on policies which set the direction Council will take in its operations, services and activities. They are not paid a salary but receive a fee. Most Councillors have other full or part-time jobs.
Your role is important
We urge and encourage residents to take part in all Council activities by attending and addressing meetings, looking at plans and drawings of developments which are advertised in Council's weekly column in the local newspapers, sending letters, applications or petitions about local issues to Council.
