Yarra City Council is committed to creating more opportunities for the community to meet with Councillors outside of the formal Council Meeting schedule.
From next year Council will commence Community Tuesdays – a series of community information sessions, pop-ups, events and informal meetings where the community will have the opportunity to discuss the issues and projects that are important to them with Councillors in a variety of locations across Yarra.
These engagement opportunities will be held in addition to Council’s formal meeting schedule, which also includes a monthly council meeting dedicated solely to hearing planning matters.
This week, Council voted to move to a monthly meeting schedule, on an alternate fortnightly schedule to the Community Tuesday events, bringing Yarra into line with Boroondara, Merri-bek, Hobson’s Bay, Darebin and Maribyrnong. This change will see Yarra holding more meetings than 30 of the 31 metropolitan councils.
Yarra Mayor Cr Claudia Nguyen said the move to create more informal opportunities for the community to engage with Council responded to feedback received from the community and in the Municipal Monitor’s Report.
“Community Tuesdays will provide additional opportunities for the community to meet with Councillors outside of a formal Council Meeting. This will reduce the barriers for many in engaging Council, including for those who don’t feel comfortable speaking or attending a formal Council Meeting or who are unable to attend Council Meetings, due to work or family commitments” she said.
“Yarra is committed to meaningful, informed and representative community engagement where the community can receive up-to-date information on key projects, ask questions and speak directly to Councillors about their views on a project or issue prior to the item coming to the chamber for a decision.”
To further boost our community engagement offering in 2023, Yarra will also be holding:
- Regular opportunities for community members to raise concerns directly with the mayor through Cuppa with the Mayor sessions
- Listening post style events in public locations with all Councillors
