The Office of Local Government (OLG) is working in partnership with the Office of Environment and Heritage and the Department of Planning and Environment to support the commencement of the Biodiversity Offset Scheme.This will include overseeing the establishment of a network of regional biodiversity reform support officers to assist councils.

The Office of Local Government (OLG) is conducting a series of information sessions in March 2018 on impending Accounting Standards and the auditing of financial statements.There will also be an opportunity at the sessions to discuss accounting issues and provide input into OLG’s financial reporting policy and guidelines.

The purpose of this Circular is to remind councils of the opportunity to make submissions on the Councillor Induction and Professional Development Guidelines and the Model Code of Meeting Practice for Local Councils in NSW which are currently on public exhibition.

With more than half of regional and rural NSW councils having already resolved to join a Joint Organisation (JO), results have been encouraging. A few councils have requested an extension and, to make it fair across the board, the NSW Government has decided to extend the period by which all councils must submit nominations to be part of a JO to 23 March 2018.

OLG is changing the way it engages with councils. A key step is the establishment of a Council Engagement Team. The Council Engagement Team will work closely with councils and Joint Organisations, identify, emerging issues and opportunities for OLG to address, implement programs to support improved council performance and build working relationships with State agencies.

The recent Phase 1 amendments to the Local Government Act 1993 (the Act) have seen the inclusion in the prescribed role of councillors under section 232 a responsibility “to make all reasonable efforts to acquire and maintain the skills necessary to perform the role of a councillor”. In support of this, the amendments allow regulations to be made for induction and other professional development for Mayors and Councillors.

This Circular provides advice to those councils with deferred elections (see list below) in relation to their Integrated Planning and Reporting requirements until their next local government elections occur.

In 2015, all councils prepared an Improvement Plan to demonstrate how they would become Fit for the Future. As councils undertake the next cycle of Integrated Planning and Reporting, it is important that the strategies and actions identified in the Improvement Plans are reflected in the new Delivery Program and Resourcing Strategy. Councils are reminded that the Office of Local Government will monitor councils’ performance against the Fit for the Future benchmarks over time.

s notified in Circular 16-30, the NSW Parliament passed amendments to the Local Government Act 1993 (the LGA) in the Local Government Amendment (Governance and Planning) Act 2016. These reforms are known as the Phase 1 amendments.

New councils and those where a merger is pending due to legal proceedings will not be eligible for a special or minimum rate variation for the 2017/18 rating year. The Guidelines outline the process for all other councils seeking to apply for a special or minimum rate variation for 2017/18.