A slap in the face and an assault on democracy.
That’s how some Campbelltown councillors last night described the State Government decision to strip councils of the few planning powers they have left.
Mostly they were angry that the government had announced the changes by suggesting corruption was rife among councillors across NSW.
Consent authority functions will no longer be exercisable by councillors on developments valued more than $5 million.
But even development applications with a value below $5 million that also meet other specific criteria will be referred to LLP.
It essentially means councillors will have next to no planning powers.
“So if you just want to build a pergola and you are related to a councillor the DA will go to the LPP,’’ said Cr Paul Lake.
“This decision is a slap in the face of councillors, who have a connection to the local community but now won’t have a say when someone wants to open a brothel or a boarding house.
“This is especially so for a council like ours, where we have kept our noses clean,’’ Cr Lake said.
“Maybe this is payback over the council amalgamations mess.’’
Green councillor Ben Moroney said the changes were “a gross assault on democracy in NSW.’’
“In announcing this decision the minister suggested that all councillors are corrupt, so this is an assault on every one of us,’’ Cr Moroney said.
Labor’s Cr Karen Hunt said that considering how many state politicians had been found corrupt in recent years, some of whom ended up behind bars, the State Government “should be looking in the mirror.’’
Cr George Greiss, the senior Liberal on council, said it was important to note that the changes were in line with a process that had started more than 10 years ago.
“It’s important that we remember that planning in NSW has been turned over to professionals in the past few years.
“I am not thrilled with demonising councillors in announcing these changes, that was wrong,’’ he said.
“But these changes just continue the process of taking planning decisions out of the hands of elected officials.’’
Mayor George Brticevic revealed he would be meeting the mayors of Penrith and Liverpool today to discuss the issue.
He noted that the planning changes had passed the Upper House of the NSW Parliament with bipartisan support.
“Only the Greens voted against it,’’ he said.
“Even in the Lower House Labor abstained when it was put to the vote.
“But in the end this attack on local government is an erosion of democracy.’’
It is only right that the Liberal state government would take over the planning power form the Council because they know that the developers will pay their money to the Liberal funding groups in Canberra that don’t have to be disclosed. These things were all revealed in ICAC but the Feds will never setup a federal ICAC because they are hiding their funds in Canberra