Our Council

GOVERNANCE

Lake Macquarie City Council has 13 elected Councillors including the Mayor, who is popularly elected. The city is divided into three wards, North, East and West. Each ward is represented by four Councillors. Our Mayor and Councillors have held office since 19 September 2016. Council elections are normally held every four years. All local government elections across NSW have been postponed to 4 December 2021 in response to COVID-19.

Read about our Councillors and organisational structure on pages 76-93. Read about our workforce on pages 94-97.

WORKFORCE

We employ more than 1300 people who work across diverse professional fields to deliver the breadth and quality of services we offer our community. Our employees work under the guidance of a clear set of organisational values: shaping our future, leading at all levels and working together.

SERVICE DELIVERY

We operate under a Customer Charter that sets out our commitment to our community and the service they can expect from their Council. Flowing from this commitment is a set of service standards that establishes timeframes for delivery of a range of services, along with response times in relation to customer requests.

BUSINESS ACTIVITIES

Our key business activities involve our City Works department and our Property and Business Development department. City Works is our civil engineering, construction and maintenance arm. Property and Business Development oversees Council’s property portfolio and the management of our five Holiday Parks.

FACILITIES

Council delivers services throughout the city. Our City Administrative Centre in Speers Point includes our Customer Service Centre and the Council Chamber, where formal meetings of our elected Council are held. Other key facilities for our operations include our Works Depot in Boolaroo, Lake Mac Libraries, Lake Mac Swim Centres, Museum of Art and Culture (MAC), Warners Bay and Rathmines theatres, The Swansea Centre, Awaba Waste Management Facility and Lake Macquarie Landcare Resource Centre in Teralba. In addition to Council’s own operating facilities, we provide a wealth of facilities for the community.

KEY PARTNERS

We foster partnerships wherever we can with organisations in our region and beyond, where we can see benefits for our community. Partnership agreements with the University of Newcastle and Hunter Water highlight Council’s commitment to an integrated approach to doing business. Our key community partners include Lake Macquarie Landcare, Sustainable Neighbourhood Groups and local community and sporting groups and operating committees who manage our facilities. We also partner with Dantia, the city’s independent economic development company. Dantia manages Dashworks Makespace, a business innovation accelerator at Warners Bay, as well as Dashworks Workspace, a coworking space at Charlestown, home to 120 members from more than 75 businesses of all sizes and industries. Council is an active member of the Hunter Joint Organisation and is a Hunter First member of the Hunter Business Chamber, which enables Council to share ideas, hear from government leaders and industry experts, and advocate for common goals with others from across the Hunter region. Council is also a member of the Committee for the Hunter, which provides a platform for a united voice and collaborative action to move our region forward. Other key partners include the Hunter Sports Centre in Glendale and The Place in Charlestown.

RECOGNITION

We are an award-winning organisation that has been recognised for excellence across many areas of our operations including customer service, asset management, sustainability and delivering unique play spaces for our community.

Read about our awards on page 106.