Moved by Councillor Jarrett, seconded by
Councillor Gannon –
It is resolved that:
(A)
Council
note:
(i)
representatives
of the 4Cs (Coalition Caring 4 Community Centres) developed a strategy called
Strengthening Connections in the City of Sydney and sent it to Council in June 2022;
(ii)
in
August 2022 and in March 2023, representatives of the 4Cs wrote to the Lord
Mayor and the Chief Executive Officer requesting the establishment of a working
group to review the needs of community centres and develop responses to those needs;
(iii)
the
current City of Sydney budget included a sizeable increase in funding
specifically for community centre staffing and programming;
(iv)
a
portion of this funding has been allocated to the new online booking system for
community centres that is not expected to be available for another two years;
(v)
residents
have raised concerns that funding is not being allocated towards solving the
short-term issues of isolation and accessibility currently being experienced by
communities; and
(vi)
local
community representatives have highlighted that community centres within the
City remain under-utilised and poorly maintained, with staffing issues being
left unaddressed and are concerned with little evidence of action by the City
to address the underlying problems of social isolation and loneliness; and
(B)
the
Chief Executive Officer be requested to:
(i)
hold an
immediate meeting with relevant senior staff at the City to determine how
additional funds can be allocated to community centres in the 2023-24 budget;
(ii)
form a
working group consisting of Council staff, Councillors, and community
representatives to review the priorities and develop an action plan to address
the community needs regarding community centre funding; and
(iii)
report
back to Council on how the additional funds are to be allocated towards
community centres in the upcoming budget and on the creation of a working
group.
The motion
was lost on the following show of hands –
Ayes (5)
Councillors Ellsmore, Gannon, Jarrett, Scott and
Weldon
Noes (5) The
Chair (the Lord Mayor), Councillors Chan, Davis, Kok
and Scully.
Motion lost.
X086657