A Message From our Chief Executive Officer

The End of Term Report provides the opportunity to reflect on the performance of Council, in terms of meeting the expectations of our community and its ratepayers. During this four year term, it is difficult to not focus on the final year due to the impact caused by the unprecedented COVID-19 global pandemic. I could not be more proud of City of Newcastle (CN)’s swift response, via the rollout of a Community and Economic Resilience Package and emergency actions such as working with NSW Police to monitor social distancing and promote safety in public spaces. We have put people at the centre of driving the city’s economic opportunities and recovery from COVID-19 in our new Economic Development Strategy. We aim to strengthen existing and create new economic opportunities for all by investing in people, their skills, networks and investments. CN’s employees have delivered in record ways over the past four years. We have increased our infrastructure spend to an all time high, reduced our complaints to an all time low, improved community satisfaction to a level not previously seen, and rebuilt a level of respect with the elected Council. We have also continued our leadership in sustainability, and in January 2020, became the first local government in NSW and one of only a handful across the country, to move to 100% renewable energy. Our transformation to a sustainable city will continue under our new Climate Action Plan 2025 and no doubt will be a highlight of our End of year Term report. The decision to move our Council Administration Centre to Newcastle West included the delivery of our award-winning Digital Library and flexible Council Chamber, along with a fit for purpose Emergency Operations Centre for the city’s emergency services to respond to critical incidents like bushfires. It received an early test during the initial weeks of the lockdown of the city required to control the spread of COVID-19; and passed with flying colours according to local emergency chiefs. We have maintained our commitment to supporting global change by working towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and through our roles as a United Nations City we will continue to work at the local level to influence global outcomes. I thank our Councillors, staff and stakeholders for their efforts to ensure Newcastle’s growth and development continues in a way that benefits our entire community. Our city’s success is the sum of many parts, and CN’s result this term is testament to the performance of everyone involved.

Jeremy Bath

Chief Executive Officer