Pittwater Council Website

Pittwater Council Vision - To be a vibrant sustainable community of connected villages inspired by bush, beach and water.

The following access keys are available throughout the Pittwater Council site. "m" will take you to the main content, "n" will take you to the site navigation, "s" will take you to the site search form and "t" will take you to the top of the page.

Main Content

Community Engagement

Council is keen to engage with the community to inform them and consult with them on issues that may affect them.  Council is committed to undertaking transparent and genuine consultation so that it is in a better position to:

  • Meet the needs of the community.
  • Tap into local knowledge and expertise.
  • Have a more informed community.
  • Encourage and enable community participation in the decision making process.

Community Engagement Framework

Council’s community engagement framework consists of the following documents which are intended to guide and support consultation activities.  

  1. Community Engagement Policy (draft) - This policy provides the foundation upon which all community engagement processes will be developed.
  2. Community Engagement Procedures – The procedures provide a step by step guide to completing community engagement plans underpinning consultation approaches.
  3. Community Engagement Toolkit- The Toolkit provides guidance to staff about appropriate methodologies and identifies expected practice standards to be incorporated into all consultation activities.  

Council's approach to community engagement is based on the following social justice principles:

  • Equity – The broadest cross-section of residents will have opportunities to be involved in consultation activities and every effort will be made to implement processes that are fair and equitable.
  • Access – Strategies will be put in place to ensure that individuals are not excluded from the consultation process.
  • Participation – A range of methodologies will be implemented to encourage participation.  These will include face to face meetings, written publications, on-line and social media technology as well as committee and reference group formats.
  • Rights – Council respects the right of residents to have their voices heard and be informed about the decision making process.

How can you have your say?

Members of the community can be involved in the decision making process in the following ways:

  • Documents on public exhibition - From time to time a range of Council documents will be put on public exhibition to inform the community about a particular project, plan or proposal.  These documents will always be available for review via Council’s website or at Councils key connection points such as Customer Service Centres at Mona Vale and Avalon as well as our Library.
  • Submissions - All matters where consultation is sought will include the opportunity to put forward your ideas and feedback via a submission form.  This will usually be available for download or completion online.
  • Public Meetings - Public meetings may be called during a consultation process to ensure that the community is informed about a particular project or proposal and so that Council can provide the opportunity for community members to give feedback about the merits and concerns related to such matters.
  • Surveys - From time to time, Council will conduct surveys which will be available online.
  • Reference Groups - Council has established 4 reference groups to examine the goals and strategic initiatives within Council’s 2020 Strategic Plan.  Members of these reference groups are appointed for a term of two years.
  • Committees - Council administers a number of external and special committees that have been established to examine and resolve particular issues.

In addition to these processes Council will utilise a diverse range of consultation mechanisms such as surveys, focus groups, workshops and other techniques to ensure that the broadest cross-section of the community have the opportunity to have their say.

How do I know what community engagement is being conducted?

You can keep up to date with consultation conducted by Council by clicking on the following links:

Join a mailing list

Council continues to maintain a consultation and mailing list so that we can communicate on issues that are of interest to the community.

More information

If you have any comments or questions relating to community engagement issues please email Council's Community Engagement Officer Jane Mulroney or call 9970 1108.

Updated: 10 May 2011