THIS is the third time the Strategic Community Plan’s undergone a major revision in the past three years as each new regime at the City of Perth releases its own version.
The plans are designed to look 10 years in the future, but should be reviewed after every lord mayoral election to check they’re not outdated.
Never have so many been churned out so quickly.
Before being suspended in March 2018, the elected council brought in the first “2019-2029” plan following the biggest community consultation campaign in the city’s history, stretching six months and just shy of 2000 responses.
But the three commissioners appointed by the state government to run the council didn’t like the pie-in-the-sky plan, wanting a more “feasible and financed” plan; a recent staff report acknowledged it suffered from a lack of council oversight.
The commissioners voted in a new SCP in May this year, but it lasted just six months. Chair commissioner Eric Lumsden retired and was replaced by Andrew Hammond, new commissioner Len Kosova came on board, and every senior director from the old regime had been replaced.
A staff report noted they were asked for yet another review “to ensure the city had further clarity on the future direction”.
The third iteration is half the size of the last two.