Perth council a lesson to all

The Town of Port Hedland Mayor Camilo Blanco has declared the saga engulfing the City of Perth a Statewide wakeup call for local governments.

Mr Blanco said the suspension of the City of Perth Council was a chance for the sector to reset the bar on performance.

“This should be a definite wakeup call to everyone around the State to take a close, hard look at themselves,” he said.

“We need to learn from the mistakes of the past and work to ensure that local government remains firmly fixed on its core role and that is simply to serve the community.

“I hope this all leads to a significant change and a turning point for local government in WA.”

Local Government Minister David Templeman suspended the City of Perth Council on March 2, under section 8.19 of the Local Government Act 1995 as a result of alleged dysfunction among councillors and mistrust between councillors and its administration.

An inquiry panel with powers of a royal commission will have the authority to make recommendations to the minister on whether the council should be dismissed or reinstated, while commissioners will run the day-to-day business of the council. Mr Templeman said he was seeking to restore confidence in local government.