THE most contentious road proposal in Maylands’ recent history has stalled following unprecedented opposition. A group of Maylands peninsula residents wanted a dual use path between Clarkson and Swanbank Roads upgraded to a through-road in preparation for the opening of the new Waterland, convincing councillor Catherine Ehrhardt to call for an investigation at Bayswater council’s…

PERTH council decisions will be double-checked for legality and reimbursement claims published online as part of a raft of measures introduced in response to the Power inquiry.  On September 15 the city’s stand-in commissioners approved a formal response to the 248 findings outlined in the inquiry report.  A few dozen actions have already been completed, like…

BUSINESS waste bins will no longer be collected by Vincent council as of mid-2021. Vincent, which doesn’t have a dedicated commercial waste collection service like Perth, wants traders to switch to private operators.  The council has been lumbering along collecting business bins as part of its residential pickup system, with businesses needing more than two…

EDITH COWAN uni’s Mt Lawley campus will move to the CBD by 2025, while Mt Lawley high school will stretch out onto the vacant campus.  The $696 million project is the centrepiece of the long-stalled Perth City Deal between local, state and federal governments, and comes more than two years after negotiations started. WAAPA and…

TRAINING for both staff and councillors is a big focus of the recommendations for improvement, as inadequate training underpinned many problems leading up to the suspension.  The inquiry report says a lack of staff training contributed to illegitimate voters being registered, candidates with no right to run being accepted onto the ballot, improper reimbursements being given…

FROM a crowded field, City of Perth Western Residents has endorsed one lord mayoral contender and four for council. President Anna Vanderbom says they chose independent candidates who weren’t part of a faction or voting bloc as that had led to a lot of trouble under the old regime, and “we want them free from…

THE owners and occupiers roll for the Perth council election is far slimmer this year. Following the inquiry into the City of Perth finding evidence of bogus voters, there was increased scrutiny of the roll and it’s now 700 shorter than at the last election. Given some candidates get over the line by just a…

TAGGERS have been hitting Vincent’s laneways so hard lately, the council’s sole graffiti cleaner can’t keep up. A tour through Highgate’s lanes this week revealed a spaghetti mess of tags through Blazevic, Marocchi and Martyr Lanes, and St Alban’s Ave looks like a paint bomb went off. Many councils have free cleaning services to quickly…

THE “ludicrous” need to hold a driver’s licence has been listed as a job requirement for Vincent council’s new Active Transport Officer, whose role is to get people to drive less.   The successful applicant will be required to “achieve a reduction in private car use through the promotion and enhancement of walking, cycling and public transport”…

BANKS Reserve playground reopens in time for the school holidays with the first playdate set for Friday September 25. After months of Covid-enforced playground closures and then works taking longer than expected with gas pipeline-related complications, the finishing touches were being put on the sprawling mixed-age nature-based playground week.  Mayor Emma Cole tells us “after…