Soon there will be no point contacting your local Councillor when you have a concern with a Development Application. From 1 March, DAs will be determined by a special panel, NOT Councilors.
This has been a long time coming.
The majority of residents have said that they want developers to ‘stick to the rules’. However, when it came to Councillor decisions, the Councillors often threw the rule book out and imposed their own view of what should be approved or acceded to the demands of potential voters at the next election.
Naturally, the developers cried foul to the State Government.
Local Planning Panels are the outcome
Chatswood West Ward History 
Terry You are right. They cannot contact staff so cannot do that about a DA or it will result in a Code of Conduct complaint. Similarly if illegal work. Everything else is dished up by GM. Hard to encourage people to stand for LG when you can’t do anything
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The most important roles for a local Councillor has always been to direct the affairs of Councils, not manage at the micro level. They need to take control of the budget, investment, governance of the orginisation, the strategic planning process, community relations and a host of other strategic endeavours. These are long term. Not as ritzy as DAs.