Mayoral Column - 11 May 2022

Published on 11 May 2022

It was an honour to host the 2022 Mayoral Scholarships presentation on 27 April and I am pleased to announce the deserving recipients, who each received $2500 to assist with their studies. Congratulations to Joseph Barry, Ethan Floyd, Lucy Saywell, Jesse Hamilton, Georgia Bailey, Ryan Stace, Christine Grainger, Gina Harrison, Ruby Madden, Lucy Donn, Jack Eades and Tayla Barusic. It is wonderful to be able to provide this support to our community and I would like to once again thank the sponsors who make the Mayoral Scholarship Program possible.   

Supporting local business is one of my key priorities as Mayor and I was delighted to hear Council was successful in obtaining a $150,000 grant under the Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants Program to strengthen its Support Local campaign in the 2022/23 financial year. Support Local is a Council-led initiative which started back in 2020, and harnessed the power of social media to promote local businesses and raise awareness about the importance of shopping local. This welcome funding boost will take the campaign to a new level and allow Council to actively engage with local businesses and assist them with promotion, future development, skills and training. The stronger our businesses are, the more prosperous our entire region will be, which will lead to more employment opportunities for our people.

Council is currently seeking feedback on the Draft Community Strategic Plan Cessnock 2036, the 2022-26 Delivery Program, and the 2022-23 Operational Plan and Budget. These are the plans that guide all that we do at Council, which is why it is so important to hear from our community to see if we got them right. The success of our community relies heavily on our ability to strategically plan for the future and deliver positive outcomes for all residents. I am pleased that Council’s Operational Plan includes an impressive $53.8 million Capital Works Program for 2022-23, $28 million of which is grant funded. In line with community feedback, local roads and pathways will receive a $27 million investment in 2022-23, and the roads maintenance budget sees a 14.3% increase to $5.8 million. A few highlights in the 2022-23 budget include the commencement of the RFS Aviation Fire Base project, the Bridges Hill to Wine Country Drive shared pathway, and the completion of the Branxton to Greta Cycleway. I encourage local residents to visit Council’s website to view the plans and share their valuable input.