At the Council meeting on 27 June 2023, the Administrator requested a forward plan for community engagement. He noted:

Central Coast Council is about to begin its last complete financial year under the current period of Administration before Councillors return in September 2024. During my appointment as Administrator, I have met with many individuals, community groups, resident associations, and committees to connect and engage with the community. During these conversations, some residents have expressed interest in being more involved in Council matters that impact them, or that they have a particular interest in. At times, some community members have indicated they had not been aware Council was undertaking community consultation on a certain project or weren’t sure how to stay abreast of community consultation that may be coming up during the months ahead.

To increase transparency and foresight for the community on Council’s community engagement activities, I am requesting a report back to Council that provides a 12-month forward plan of upcoming engagement projects that is publicly available and details how the community can get involved.

It should be acknowledged there may be instances when engagement projects arise during this period which were not determined at the time of this forward plan, for example, State or Federal Government developments that Council has not received 12 months’ notice on. However, I am seeking for the 12-month forward plan to present the most accurate picture of engagement for the year ahead, thereby increasing transparency with the community and allowing the community to think about and plan for the engagement activities they would like to get involved in.

He moved:

1. That Council staff prepare a report which provides a 12-month forward plan outlining the key projects, initiatives, policies, strategies and plans that Central Coast Council intends to conduct community engagement on.

2. That Council staff provide this report back to Council no later than the August 2023 Council meeting.

We update information in the forecasted Community Engagement Plan quarterly to provide transparency on what Council will engage on and when. There may be instances where planned activities change, or additional engagement activities arise that were not determined at the time of presenting this forward plan.

At its meeting on 22 August 2023, a 12-month Community Engagement Plan for 2023-24 was presented to Council in response to the Administrator’s Minute on 27 June 2023.

This report presents a 12-month forward plan outlining the key projects, initiatives, policies, strategies and plans that Council intends to engage with the Central Coast community in 2023-24.

The Administrator said:

At last night’s Council meeting, I was pleased to finalise a public, 12-month forward plan for community engagement which outlines the key projects, initiatives, policies, strategies and plans that Council will be engaging the Central Coast community on this financial year.

The Community Engagement Plan for 2023-24 was drafted in response to an Administrator Minute I tabled at the June 2023 Council Meeting and is now a public document which will soon be available to the community on Council’s engagement website, YourVoiceOurCoast.com.

I am pleased with this outcome, which means the Central Coast community now has a thorough list of projects and timelines that the community can expect to be engaged on during the course of this financial year.

The Central Coast has begun its last complete financial year under the current period of Administration before Councillors return in September 2024. This list of engagement projects can help the community stay abreast of community consultation projects that may be of interest to them which are coming up throughout the year.

Most importantly, this community engagement plan will become an annual fixture in Council’s yearly operational planning.

We will regularly communicate and promote engagement activities through e-newsletters, media interviews, advertising, social media, printed pamphlets and letterbox drops. Additionally, Council reports back to the community about engagement activities through publicising, emailing participants directly and publishing consultation summaries and reports on this website, and providing consultation reports to the Council as part of Council Meeting Agenda items.

A great way to stay updated is by signing up to Council’s e-News.

Once we have sought and received feedback from the community and made a decision, it is important that we go back to our community and explain the nature of feedback we received and how it was used to come to a decision - We weigh up our community's input and use it to take a course of action.

Naturally, not everyone will agree with our decisions, however communicating how feedback was used provides greater transparency and also acknowledges the efforts of those who provided feedback.

Depending on the project we aim to report back on engagement outcomes by updating the Your Voice, Our Coast project pages, publishing engagement reports or snapshots, and contacting participants and registered stakeholders with the outcomes. An overview of engagement outcomes is also included in reports for Council meetings.

Search for the project you are interested in on this website. We will update the information as your project progresses, including how your feedback has helped contribute to the project.

This is the period where no engagement projects go live for public exhibition unless we agree to make an exception due to special circumstances. This is done to ensure we optimise community engagement by avoiding times when many community members (and project officers) are away.