The formation of new councils will have implications for these councils’ management of their obligations under the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (GIPA Act).

Ordinary local government elections in NSW are scheduled to occur on 10 September 2016 for councils that have not been merged and that are not subject to a merger proposal.

There have been several recent cases of section 355 committees failing to meet basic governance and accounting standards. This creates significant and ongoing risks for councils. Where councils delegate functions to section 355 committees, including the expenditure of council funds, it is important that the activities of these committees remain transparent and subject to critical oversight.

A guide for candidates, stand for your community, and other resources have been prepared by the Office of Local Government, in collaboration with Local Government NSW, to ensure candidates reflect the diverse communities they represent. The resources will also assist prospective candidates in making informed decisions about standing for local government elections in September 2016.

The NSW Parliament has passed amendments to the Local Government Act 1993 (the LGA) and the Election Funding, Expenditure and Disclosures Act 1981 (the Election Funding Act). The amendments are designed to promote confidence in the integrity of local government elections and the candidates who stand for election to councils, and to offer a more effective deterrent to misuse by councillors of their office for personal gain.

Clause 393B of the Local Government (General) Regulation 2005 limits councils’ ability to exercise some of their functions in the four weeks preceding the date of an ordinary local government election (the caretaker period).

Councils need to ensure that everyone eligible to vote in the upcoming local government elections has the opportunity to do so. Councils should include relevant information, including eligibility criteria and the process for making a claim for inclusion on the non-residential rolls on their websites.

Council officials must not use council resources, property (including intellectual property), and facilities for the purposes of assisting their election campaign or the election campaign of others unless the use is lawfully authorised and proper payment is made where appropriate.

The Local Government Remuneration Tribunal (the Tribunal) has determined an increase of 2.5% to mayoral and councillor fees for the 2016/17 financial year, with effect from 1 July 2016. Sections 248 and 249 of the Local Government Act 1993 require councils to fix and pay an annual fee based on the Tribunal’s determination of 2.5% for the 2016/17 financial year.

Applications are now open for funding from the Youth Opportunities Grant Program for projects to be run in 2017. The Youth Opportunities Grant Program provides one-off, time-limited grants of up to $50,000 to organisations and local councils for youth-led and youth-driven community projects that have a positive youth development focus.