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Local Government | August 13, 2024

Monitor appointed for Horsham council – again

The Nationals’ Member for Lowan, Emma Kealy, is disappointed the state government has not gone further to address systemic issues within Horsham Rural City Council, with the government today announcing a second monitor would be appointed to the council in as many years.

The move follows calls from Ms Kealy and the local community to dismiss the council and appoint administrators, which would see planned October local government elections forgone to allow time to work through operational issues and give council an opportunity to regain the trust and respect of the community before new councillors are elected.

Community concerns have escalated in recent months following ongoing issues including councillor complaints, bullying allegations, and Local Government Victoria announcing last week it had referred the council to the Chief Municipal Officer for failing to adopt its 2024-25 budget before June 30 – a breach of the Local Government Act.

Minister for Local Government Melissa Horne today announced monitor Steven Kingshott would be appointed in September for 10 months to oversee governance practices at the council, despite council being under a state government-appointed monitor only two years ago.

Local government elections can still go ahead while a monitor is in place.

Ms Kealy said while she was pleased the Horsham community’s concerns were heard, she worried whether a second monitor would be enough to give the council the stability it needed.

“Ratepayers deserve a highly-functioning council that meets the needs of its residents and delivers services in the way local people expect, and today’s announcement must feel a little like Groundhog Day for Horsham Rural City residents,” she said.

“It would be fair to say that the first time a monitor was appointed in July 2022, there was limited success in improving the functionality of Horsham Rural City Council.

“I spoke with the Minister for Local Government in Parliament two weeks ago – and again earlier today – to call for administrators to be appointed, which is the next step in the process after a monitor is appointed.

“It’s clear that things have escalated to a point where significant change is needed within the council to ensure it is delivering for its community, and an administrator would allow for a complete reset.

“I am pleased and thankful the minister has taken steps to address community concerns, but it remains to be seen whether a second monitor will be enough to address the challenges that have plagued council for some time.”