Community Development Lead Strategy endorsed

Council officers have conducted public consultation on the draft Community Development Lead Strategy exploring ways to improve community connections over the next 5 years.

The consultation period saw Council staff engage with the community via a number of methods:

• Displays at the Civic Centre, Library and Mount Barker Community Centre.
• 5 Facebook posts with a total of 7,728 people reached and 133 people who engaged with the posts.
• A consultation drop-in session on Thursday 11 February at the Mount Barker Community Library. Four people provided comments which were included as part of the feedback.
• Council’s YourSay project page: 61 people became aware of the project, 45 were informed and 3 people engaged with the project by completing a survey.
• Written submissions: 2 written submissions were provided by community groups.

While there is always a diverse range of opinions on the priorities amongst any community, the feedback gathered showed the following as most important:

• That the Strategy is resourced, implemented and reported on,
• The actions in the themes of People, Place and Participation are most important to be delivered, specifically:
  1. Accessible communication and consultation by providing remote access to council meetings and increasing the ways that citizens can bring their expertise to inform Council’s decision-making,
  2. Investing in arts and culture,
  3. Supporting the activation of community facilities (Council and non-Council owned),
  4. Provision of varied opportunities for people to participate in their local communities, and
  5. A review of community funding and grants to better meet community need.

The Strategy has been reviewed in light of community feedback and on 7 June 2021, Council endorsed the strategy for implementation.

Access the Strategy here: https://www.mountbarker.sa.gov.au/council/plans