By JESSE GRAHAM
WARD funds will be banned for councils across the state by next year’s local government elections, ending a quick, but exploitable, way of providing funding to community groups.
But Yarra Ranges Council has defended its use of the funds, while accepting how easy they could be misused.
Cardinia Council’s Manager of Governance, Doug Evans, meanwhile, said the council could adapt to the change, and raised the possibility of creating a grants program with its funding.
On 26 August, Local Government Minister Natalie Hutchins announced the Local Government (Improved Governance) Bill 2015, which will bring in “tougher standards” for councillors state-wide.
The bill, which has been introduced to parliament, will require councillors to agree to codes of conduct when they take office, force councils to establish procedures to deal with alleged breaches, and will allow councillors to be suspended for six months for serious misconduct.
Councillor discretionary funds, or ward funds, will also be outlawed if the bill passes.
Yarra Ranges mayor, Maria McCarthy, said she understood why the government was opposed to ward funds, but defended their use.
“I can understand the State Government wanting to tidy it up and wanting to give it more rigour, but I can assure you that Yarra Ranges is very diligent in the way our policy is set out to accommodate people’s requests,” Ms McCarthy said.
“People do mismanage what they do, and then us councils that do it really well, we get put into that same bag of baddies, and we’re not.
“And then our residents hear the bad stories and we get tarnished with the bad stories.”
She said that council staff had “strict policy guidelines” for ward fund applications.
Mr Evans said that ward funds were used to support “deserving groups and individuals” in the area, and that funds were agreed on by a council resolution – not left to a councillor’s discretion. Though he said council had not yet formed an opinion on the bill, he said they were “valuable” when used properly.
“We agree that there are some risks for the misuse of Ward Funds however, when monitored appropriately, they are a valuable way to support the community,” Mr Evans said.
He said that if ward funds are outlawed, council may consider creating a “competitive grants program” with the allocated funding.
Deputy Premier and Monbulk MP, James Merlino, said the bill will give councils and the Victorian Government “a broader range of powers” to deal with councillors breaching codes of conduct.
“Councils do important work in representing their communities. We need to ensure that the actions of one rogue individual don’t impact an entire council,” he said.
“Unfortunately, too often ward funding was not being used appropriately.
“These reforms recognise that funding should be transparent and not the decision of a single individual.”
He said the contents of the bill came after reports from the Local Government Inspectorate, and the measures in the bill will be in place ahead of October 2016’s local government elections.
The Yarra Ranges Council currently allocates about $12,000 per councillor per year to use for ward funds.
To view Cardinia Council’s ward fund allocations for the year to date, visit bit.ly/1Nr7vsL.
