The Northern Rivers Times Edition 185

The Northern Rivers Times

2

January 25, 2024!!!

NEWS

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from page 1 by Tim Howard that I was being bullied by,” she said.

“I also would like to apologise to the Clarence Valley Limited residents.

“You were caught up in the middle of this. It’s such a shame that the tenants had to endure this and it was really sad for me to have residents that I knew that were coming to me crying and then blaming me for it.”

In his judgment, Mr Preston said

there was a difference between rates and charges.

He ruled the council was charging for sewerage services, but levying rates.

Charities could avoid rates, but not charges.

The council revealed its revenue team had been auditing its rates and charges for a number of years and detected some anomalies.

It had made amendments and issued supplementary notices to correct them.

Clarence Village Limited expressed its concern regarding the amended notices issued and sent a letter of complaint requesting an exemption.

This request for exemption was presented to council at its February 28 meeting last year and Clarence Village CEO Duncan McKimm, made a deputation.

The council resolution on the matter was to defer a decision to allow continued negotiations,

however, the council opinion was the correct charging methodology had been applied.

On the May 16, council was served a Summons and prepared its response to the summons.

Meanwhile the council said its internal audits were close to completion.

The domestic waste internal audit has been completed and the water and sewerage internal audit was 80% complete with the remainder of the audit to

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recommence, now that council has received judgment in these proceedings.

The internal audit

for both water and sewerage was on course to be completed by June 30.

Labor branch to open in Woodburn

By Samantha Elley Democracy is alive and well in the riverside village of Woodburn with a new Labor branch soon to be established.

Hemlock’s Books and Coffee House owner Samuel Allis has started the ball rolling by asking around to see what interest is out there.

“It’s great we live in a country where

we can participate in our democracy,” Mr Allis said.

“I was thinking to myself one day ‘these bastards must meet somewhere’ and after ringing around it turns out they did, so I signed up to the Labor party and it’s me and the grandmas now.

“And they’re wonderful, there’s the odd older fellow but mostly its our nannas that are holding the

Hemlock’s Book Store and Coffee House owner Sam Allis wants to start up a branch of the Labor party in Woodburn.

good fort.”

Mr Allis said he learnt at the first meeting that anyone

could write a motion to propose an idea to the government.

“I’ve bopped in

Safety Concerns Prompt Closure of Hazardous Naughtons Gap Road Section

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The CEO of Clarence Village Limited, Duncan McKimm, made a deputation to council about the sewer charge matter in February last year.

Naughtons Gap Road, spanning from Rambaldinis Road to 720 Naughtons Gap Road, has been temporarily closed on Monday, January 15, due to the recent inclement weather rendering the road surface slippery and hazardous for both cars and trucks. The closure aims to ensure the safety of all road users in light of the challenging conditions caused by wet weather.

Local residents have been duly informed about the temporary closure, with the expectation that the road will be accessible once again by 4 pm on Tuesday, January 16.

The road’s repair has been a prolonged endeavour, with a particular section affected by a landslip since 2020 (not the segment closed on the current date). Richmond Valley Council had

intended to address the landslip, but the plans were thwarted by the extensive flooding in March 2022. Securing funding has posed a significant challenge for the council throughout the process.

Despite these obstacles, the council anticipates completing the necessary repairs to Naughtons Gap Road by the end of this year, providing a safer and more reliable route for the community.

two so far and they’re voting on my pokies ban, one at the country conference (in) February,” he said.

After going to a couple of meetings Mr Allis decided that a new branch in Woodburn would be just the go.

“My customers are always reckoning this or that,” he said.

“Now we can come together, philosophise on the should-ery and

unlock the power that the union movement showed us, that if we come together we can make a difference for a better, fairer world.”

A minimum of 10 people is needed to start a branch and Mr Allis said the interest has been encouraging, and hopes to hear from plenty of people who are keen.

Vibrant Streets Package The Vibrant Streets Package (the Package) is a $15 million investment to inject vibrancy into our streets and create thriving local spaces that support businesses, creative sectors, and the community, now and into the future.

Under the Package, councils across NSW will have the opportunity to temporarily close streets to cars for community activities, and trial place management strategies that aim to reduce the cost and complexity of delivering events on streets.

The Vibrant Streets Package will be delivered through two programs: •

Open Streets – A grant program for NSW councils to temporarily close streets and bring them to life for a day, or series of days, with community events and activations.

The program aims to transform our streets into vibrant, walkable public spaces for people to enjoy and safely access. Applications will open in January 2024.

• Permit/Plug/Play Pilot – A program partnering with pilot councils to help reduce the cost and complexity of delivering street-based events through an innovative “local problems, local solutions” model to allow for global pre-approvals for streets as event sites.

The Package builds on significant and continued investment into our public spaces in transport hub precincts, including our streets, roads and laneways, that play a critical role in supporting local businesses, community connection and physical and mental well-being.