Late Agenda of Council Meeting - Wednesday, 21 August 2024

Councillor Contact Details

Granville Ward
Clr Steve Christou	0419 651 187	Steve.Christou@cumberland.nsw.gov.au
Clr Ola Hamed (Deputy Mayor)	0405 070 007	Ola.Hamed@cumberland.nsw.gov.au
Clr Joseph Rahme	0418 995 471	Joseph.Rahme@cumberland.nsw.gov.au
Greystanes Ward
Clr Diane Colman	0400 279 200	Diane.Colman@cumberland.nsw.gov.au
Clr Greg Cummings	0417 612 717	Greg.Cummings@cumberland.nsw.gov.au
Clr Eddy Sarkis	0425 348 000	Eddy.Sarkis@cumberland.nsw.gov.au
Regents Park Ward
Clr Kun Huang	0418 911 774	Kun.Huang@cumberland.nsw.gov.au
Clr Sabrin Farooqui	0400 322 999	Sabrin.Farooqui@cumberland.nsw.gov.au
Clr Helen Hughes	0400 264 534	Helen.Hughes@cumberland.nsw.gov.au
South Granville Ward
Clr Glenn Elmore	0418 459 527	Glenn.Elmore@cumberland.nsw.gov.au
Clr Paul Garrard	0414 504 504	Paul.Garrard@cumberland.nsw.gov.au
Clr Mohamad Hussein	0400 281 726	Mohamad.Hussein@cumberland.nsw.gov.au
Wentworthville Ward
Clr Suman Saha	0419 546 950	Suman.Saha@cumberland.nsw.gov.au
Clr Lisa Lake (Mayor)	0418 669 681	Lisa.Lake@cumberland.nsw.gov.au
Clr Michael Zaiter	0418 432 797	Michael.Zaiter@cumberland.nsw.gov.au

Statement of Ethical Obligations

Oath or Affirmation of Office

In taking the Oath or Affirmation of Office, each Councillor has made a commitment to undertake the duties of the office of councillor in the best interests of the people of Cumberland and Cumberland City Council and that they will faithfully and impartially carry out the functions, powers, authorities and discretions vested in them under the Local Government Act 1993 or any other Act to the best of their ability and judgment.

Conflicts of Interest

A councillor who has a conflict of interest in any matter with which the council is concerned, and who is present at a meeting of the council when the matter is being considered, must disclose the interest and the nature of the interest to the meeting as soon as practicable. Both the disclosure and the nature of the interest must be recorded in the minutes of the Council meeting where the conflict of interest arises. Councillors should ensure that they are familiar with Parts 4 and 5 of the Code of Conduct in relation to their obligations to declare and manage conflicts of interests.

For information on Council services and facilities please visit www.cumberland.nsw.gov.au

Council Meeting

21 August 2024

Item No: MM08/24-60

Mayoral Minute - Mayoral Thank You

Author: Mayor Lisa Lake

Summary

It has been a privilege to have served as the Mayor of Cumberland Council since January 2022. This time has been marked by many positive long-term changes, both within the Council itself and to our local area.

A hallmark of the Term has been its focus on some impressive capital work improvements, both completed and in detailed planning stage.

Our new Merrylands Civic Square has certainly delivered on its objective to provide a central and welcoming outdoor meeting place for socialising and relaxation. I pass it nearly every day, at various times and marvel at how quickly it has become part of the fabric of the Merrylands Town, as if it had always been there.

Also, the terrific upgrades to Civic Park and its wetlands at Pendle Hill, Phillips Park at Lidcombe and Guilfoyle Park at Regents Park. They have all been enthusiastically adopted by the locals as their new green entertainment zones.

As a community we have now witnessed the quality upgrades that our Council can deliver on time and within budget. This should give us all great confidence in our Council successfully realising the plans that have now been set for future works including at Coleman Park in Lidcombe, Granville Park, Lytton Street Park in Wentworthville, Marrong Reserve at Pemulwuy, and along the Duck River and the Prospect pipeline. Our diverse Town Centres too, recognised as places of history, character and culture are set for significant upgrades to their public domains.

Guildford has just seen a welcome improvement to its streetscape with a wonderful laneway transformation including new street furniture, lighting and public art. Celebrated with a retro, family fun Back to Guildford Festival, this project showed us just how uplifting it is to engage in projects that enliven local community pride. The success of the Back to Guildford Festival has now earned it a place in Council’s regular calendar of events and comprehensive Town Centre upgrades are now planned for Lidcombe, Wentworthville, Regents Park, Guildford, Pendle Hill and Toongabbie, all supported by the innovations adopted in Council’s new Smart Places Strategy. Of course, Council’s obligations to the community extend beyond providing improvements to our green spaces and streetscapes – the safety and well-being of Cumberland’s people is an important priority.

I am proud of the initiatives Council has undertaken during this Term to help make Cumberland a safer place for everyone. Improving water safety with encouraging learn to swim programs for children and adults and the watchful eyes campaign have been particularly impactful. So too, our work on road safety community awareness has raised issues that require ongoing vigilance..

In Cumberland there is nothing more important to us than our children and young people. Our work on expanding targeted children’s literacy and learning programs, our coordinated actions to support youth mental health with a youth summit and first aid program and our launch of the new Youth Hub are all initiatives which support our young people with a bright future. Our practical focus on combating the scourge of domestic and family violence with a full-time DFV co-ordinator working alongside a team of networked local service providers and police provides real results. This work saves lives.

My work across Cumberland has confirmed for me that we live in a thoughtful compassionate and generous community. Many improvements to our area are now being realised by and through our community itself, with some helpful coordination from Council. Our advisory committees are giving community members a real say in the direction of Council’s policies and decisions. And our community grants program successfully supports local organisations to provide diverse services and programs that are culturally sensitive and targeted to immediate need. This work builds the capacity of people in our area to control and direct their own lives. Council must continue to support this work into the future.

In closing, I’d like to acknowledge and thank my fellow Councillors who have contributed to this Term with their commitment and ideas. Particularly, I would like to acknowledge Councillors Kun Huang and Sabrin Farooqui who will not be contesting this 2024 election. I have been very proud to have them as members of this Council and in my Labor team, and I wish them all the very best in their ongoing careers.

Thank you to the General Manager Peter Fitzgerald and the Executive Team – Melissa Attia, Charlie Ayoub, Brendan Govers, Daniel Cavallo, Nicole Byrn and Colin McFadzean for all your support and guidance. As a community we are very lucky to be looked after by such a smart, energetic and cohesive group. Thank you also to the nearly 1,000 caring and professional staff members who work every day to deliver on Council’s vision.

It has been an honour to have served our community and Council and I could not have hoped for a more supportive team of achievers.

Thank you.

Therefore Councillors, tonight I am recommending the following:

Recommendation

That Council endorse the Mayoral Minute.

Attachments

Nil