Community Council Cooperation: The Lake Macquarie City Council Co-Governance Delegation Model

Abstract

In its Better, Stronger Local Government, the Independent Local Government Review Panel (2012a, 2012b) advanced several claims regarding the performance of New South Wales (NSW) local government, including the supposed need for additional “sub-council” governance structures. This article argues that there is no need to “reinvent the wheel” in NSW local government by introducing additional “sub-council” structures since existing regulation already enables local authorities to engage in local co-governance. Using the example of the Lake Macquarie City Council (“LakeMac”) “delegation model,” the article shows that LakeMac has been successful in its endeavors to engage widespread community participation in co-governance to manage council facilities.

Keywords:

• local government
• co-governance
• councils
• governance
• community participation

ACKNOWLEGDMENTS

The authors would like to thank John Ferguson and Halena Townsend of Lake Macquarie City Council for kindly assisting them by providing valuable insights and information. This article is based in part on an earlier discussion paper prepared as a submission to the New South Independent Local Government Review Panel in April 2013. The authors would also like to thank two anonymous referees for helpful comments on an earlier version of this article.