COUNCILLORS need to be doing more to expedite decisions, with one among the ranks saying the current group has only managed to knock ideas back.
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Councillor Jeff Whitton said when public pressure was added in the chamber, some councillors buckled.
Cr Whitton gave two examples – the recent backflip on a development application for toilets in Robertson Park two weeks after it was voted through and the industrial business park proposal around Orange Airport, which was passed by the previous council and voted down by the current group.
The feedback I’m getting is we’re going sideways, we’re not making decisions and when we do, it’s to stop something.
- Councillor Jeff Whitton
He said to refuse a DA normally, the council had to give planning reasons.
“The issue is not based on the fact that they don’t like it,” he said.
“It’s their democratic right to change their mind but it looks as though they succumb to minority groups’ pressure rather than thinking about the community as a whole.
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“The feedback I’m getting is we’re going sideways, we’re not making decisions, and when we do, it’s to stop something.”
Cr Whitton said there was no harm in asking staff for clarification prior to a meeting, rather than asking for a report at the meeting.
“Then they’re not happy with the report so they want more reports and that makes the council look foolish,” he said.
“There needs to be less repetition on issues, we need to deal with the issue as it comes so it doesn’t have to come back four or five times.”
Mayor Reg Kidd said deferring or rescinding items was acceptable if councillors felt it necessary.
“Some things are more controversial and, unless it’s unanimous, say it’s seven to five, I can guarantee there would be a rescission motion,” he said.
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