The draft Annual Budget 2021-22 outlines the services and initiatives to be funded for the next financial year. This Budget is informed by community priorities set out in the Bayside 2050 Community Vision, and the new Council Plan 2021 – 2025 and Financial Plan 2021-22 – 2030-31.

This is the first Annual Budget for Bayside’s 2021-2025 Council and the first to be prepared under the Local Government Act 2020 and Council’s Community and Stakeholder Engagement Policy 2021.

Community members and key stakeholders, including sporting clubs and local traders, were encouraged to provide feedback on the proposed Annual Budget 2021-21 for the consideration of Council.

There were 69 participants via several methods: 60 surveys and 5 written statements completed via Council’s Have Your Say engagement website, two emails to the Finance Manager, and two questions submitted to a Q&A forum. Feedback is summarised below or you can read the complete engagement summary report. Written statements uploaded to Have Your Say and received during the consultation are available to view here and in the document library on this page.

Most comments (90%) were about infrastructure spending and primarily opposed the deferral of funding for some sporting pavilion upgrade projects (64%). Participants were particularly opposed to the Brighton Beach Oval pavilion upgrade deferral, which received around half of the total feedback.

Comments about other types of infrastructure covered a wide range of topics from streetscape upgrade deferrals to public toilets, local footpaths, car parking and a warm water pool.

The 1.5% increase in rates was referenced in a small proportion of feedback (7%), which cited financial pressures from COVID, a need to review cost structures/investments, and another Council’s decision to freeze rates. Comments about funding for strategies concerned dogs, trees, and climate change.

Read the complete report on community engagement on the Annual Budget 2021-22. Written statements received during the consultation are available to view in the meeting agenda and the document library on this page.

Council will consider community feedback before adopting its Annual Budget 2021-22 at the 29 June 2021 Council meeting at 6.30pm. More information is available in the meeting agenda. This meeting will be livestreamed via Council’s website and available as a recording.

If you would like to make a submission to the meeting, you can provide a written statement. Statements must be received by 9am on the day of the meeting.

The Local Government Act 2020 requires each Council to adopt an annual budget by 30 June 2021.

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Council adopted an Annual Budget 2021–22 at its 29 June 2021 meeting, following consideration of community feedback.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the community consultation on the Budget.