Mitcham Community News - April 2025
- Tom Morrison
- Mar 31
- 2 min read
Council Myth-Busting
Sometimes when talking with residents, it is quite common to hear a variety of misconceptions about the role of Councillors / Council. Here are a few of the common ones!
#1 Being a Councillor is a full-time job.
No, although it could be! Many of the Councillors in the chamber work full-time jobs, some are retired and others like myself are self-employed.
#2 Highlighting a pothole to my local Councillor will see it get fixed quicker.
Certainly not! If anything, it is nearly the opposite! Council’s Click and Connect system priorities requests. Requests submitted by Councillors don’t see them fast-tracked.
#3 Main Roads like Old Belair and Upper Sturt Road are managed by Council.
Main Roads are managed and maintained by the State Government. Council is however, responsible for the verges on either side of those roads.
#4 Councillors get an allocated amount of money each year to spend on projects in their Ward.
Not true – There are no individual budget allocations for Councillors to spend how they like on local projects or initiatives.
#5 Councillors have their own office and assistant.
We don’t have an office but do get a pigeonhole! There is one staff member who provides “Council Member Support” and assists all 12 of us.
#6 The City of Mitcham is responsible for all the trees being cut down.
Tree protections in the City of Mitcham are set by the State Government. The same rules that apply in the City of Holdfast Bay also apply here and sadly they don’t do a particularly good job at preventing unnecessary removal, especially in the hills.
Blackwood Recreation Centre
The much-loved Blackwood Recreation Centre is one step closer to having a signed lease after the Chamber agreed to a new 15-year (5+5+5) lease, in partnership with the Department of Education. This has been a long-running issue since 2019 and a very complicated one given multiple parties, levels of Government, land ownership and more being involved.
The new lease will see Council and the Department for Education sharing structural maintenance and insurance costs equally. Rent and insurance will also be covered by Council. We will continue to retain our role as an intermediary to represent the interests of the community. A series of key performance indicators will be set for the Blackwood Community Recreation Association in areas such as financial sustainability, community service levels and governance to ensure the appropriate use of public money.
Tree City of the World
The City of Mitcham has been named a Tree City of the World for the sixth consecutive year. The aim of the Tree Cities of the World initiative, led by Arbor Day Foundation, is to connect cities around the world to share and adopt best practices in managing trees and forests. There are only 9 other LGAs in Australia that hold this title.
Have a wonderful Easter!
