Decision details

By Councillor Scully

It is resolved that:

(A)        Council note:

(i)          the Glebe Society have asked Council to establish “a fully staffed Community Centre” at Glebe Town Hall, in line with Council’s review of its community facilities;

(ii)         the Glebe Society’s concerns that “gaining a booking to use [Glebe] community venues involves a complex application process, which is especially difficult for unincorporated groups without insurance,” and that “access to an unstaffed venue on booking days can be cumbersome and time-consuming”;

(iii)        the valuable services provided to the Glebe community by the Glebe Community Development Project, which ceased operations in November 2019;

(iv)       the City provides a range of existing services in Glebe, including the Glebe Neighbourhood Service Centre, the Harold Park Community Hall and St Helen's Community Centre; and

(v)         the City has invested in making Glebe safer, more accessible and more people-friendly, including through the completion of the Glebe foreshore walk and improving the Cardigan Street Reserve; and

(B)        the Chief Executive Officer be requested to:

(i)          investigate how services in Glebe might be consolidated and made more accessible to a wider range of constituents, particularly focusing on the needs of older residents;

(ii)         investigate options for service provision in Glebe, and report back via CEO Update; and

(iii)        solicit input from Glebe community organisations like the Glebe Society, the Coalition of Glebe Groups and others to discover where the City's service provision in Glebe could be enhanced, and incorporate feedback into delivering the Social Sustainability Policy and Action Plan’s commitment to “ensuring our community facilities continue to respond to changing community needs and preferences by analysing user trends, emerging unmet demands and opportunities to improve delivery”.

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Note – the motion above was not carried. The resolution as below was carried –

It is resolved that:

(A)        Council note:

(i)          the Glebe Society have asked Council to establish “a fully staffed Community Centre” at Glebe Town Hall, in line with Council’s review of its community facilities;

(ii)         the Glebe Society’s concerns that “gaining a booking to use [Glebe] community venues involves a complex application process, which is especially difficult for unincorporated groups without insurance,” and that “access to an unstaffed venue on booking days can be cumbersome and time-consuming”;

(iii)        the valuable services provided to the Glebe community by the Glebe Community Development Project, which continues to be a tenant of Glebe Town Hall. The Glebe Community Development Project has an accommodation grant from the City until mid-2021;

(iv)       the Aboriginal Cultural Space at Glebe Town Hall is an important place for the local community, and is currently being managed by the Glebe Community Development Project, who are supporting local elders and community groups in gaining access to the space;

(v)         the City provides a range of existing services in Glebe, including the Glebe Neighbourhood Service Centre, the Harold Park Community Hall and St Helen's Community Centre; and

(vi)       the City has invested in making Glebe safer, more accessible and more people-friendly, including through the completion of the Glebe foreshore walk and improving the Cardigan Street Reserve; and

(B)        the Chief Executive Officer be requested to:

(i)          investigate how services in Glebe might be made more accessible to a wider range of constituents, particularly focusing on the needs of older residents and those in social housing;

(ii)         investigate options for service provision in Glebe, and report back via CEO Update; and

(iii)        solicit input from Glebe community organisations like the Glebe Society, the Coalition of Glebe Groups, Glebe Connected, Glebe Community Development Project, local Aboriginal elders, and others, to discover where the City's service provision in Glebe could be enhanced, and incorporate feedback into delivering the Social Sustainability Policy and Action Plan’s commitment to “ensuring our community facilities continue to respond to changing community needs and preferences by analysing user trends, emerging unmet demands and opportunities to improve delivery”.

The motion, as varied by consent, was carried unanimously.

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