Bayside City Council is seeking community feedback on its revised Lease and Licence Policy.

The Lease and Licence Policy guides how decisions will be made regarding the leasing and licencing of Council owned and managed land. It outlines the process for applying for a lease, how applications will be assessed and how Council will make decisions about key lease and licence terms like rent, length of term and other administrative matters.

The current policy is due to be reviewed as part of Council’s cyclical policy review and update program.

Council has collected tenant feedback and learnings since the Lease and Licence Policy was adopted in 2018, which have factored into the changes proposed as part of this review.

We have updated and improved sections including:

• simplified standard application form for new leases and licences
• clearer Community Agreement Criteria for assessing community leases and licences
• new mechanism for Group 3 tenants to apply for additional rental subsidies if their ability to generate revenue to fund their operation is reduced because of their community activities.
  
  

Elements of the policy that are considered to work well have been retained – such as the standard calculations of rent for community leases in Group 2 and 3.

The scope of the Policy is Council Freehold land and Crown Land under Committee of Management where Council has the ability to lease or licence to community groups or commercial operators.

Our community and key stakeholders are invited to read the draft Policy and provide feedback on proposed changes, as well as other aspects of the Policy.

What can the community influence?

• all aspects of the draft Lease and Licence Policy

What can’t the community influence?

• scheduled four-year review of the Lease and Licence Policy
• this Policy does not include generally include discontinued roads and rights of way, or Council facilities that may be used by the community pursuant to other arrangements, such as hire agreements, seasonal allocations for sporting clubs and Bathing Boxes (which has a separate policy).

This stakeholder assessment is a generalised understanding of sections of the community that have a connection to the project or matter. This information is used to understand the types of tools and techniques that will achieve the strongest and most effective outcomes for engagement and communication.

Impact: What level of change the stakeholder / community segment may experience as a result of the project / matter

Interest: What level of interest has been expressed or is anticipated

Influence: Reference to the IAP2 Spectrum

Stakeholder / community	Impact	Interest	Influence
Current commercial tenants of Council property	M	H	Consult
Community groups that lease Council properties	M	H	Consult
Businesses/groups interested in leasing Council property	M	H	Consult
General Bayside community	L	L	Consult

The tools and techniques selected for this project are informed by the project content, stakeholders and type of feedback sought.

Key tools for communicating the project

• emails to key stakeholders, including tenants with copy of proposed policy
• website news story
• Council’s e-newsletter, This Week in Bayside
• email to Have Your Say members
• social media
• printed copy of the draft Policy available at Corporate Centre.

Key methods for gathering feedback

• a Have Your Say webpage with project information, survey and written statement form and the opportunity to ask questions
• one on one appointments with Property Coordinator to discuss the Lease and Licence Policy

Key Dates: For this phase
Item title	Start date (& time if relevant)	End date (& time if relevant)	Description (if required)
Community consultation	28 November 2022	29 January 2023
Consideration of community feedback	30 January 2023	March 2023	A Community Engagement Summary report will be prepared
Council considers feedback and adopts Policy	March 2023		Council is expected to consider the draft Lease ad Licence Policy and community feedback at its March 2023 meeting.

Community and stakeholder consultation on the draft Policy will be held for a two-month period from Monday 28 November 2022– Sunday 29 January 2023.

Community feedback will be collated and presented to Council for their consideration and amendments made to the draft Lease and Licence Policy, as required.

It is expected that a report on community feedback and the proposed Lease and Licence Policy will be considered for adoption by Council at its ordinary meeting in March 2023 (specific dates have not yet been released),

The agenda for this meeting, including the community engagement report and Council Officer's recommendation in relation to the draft Lease and Licence Policy, will be published on Council's website on the Wednesday prior to the Council meeting. Project subscribers will be notified when the report is available.

All Council meetings are live-streamed via Council’s website. Community members can also ask a question or request to be heard at this meeting.

More information

Damien Darcy

Property Coordinator

ddarcy@bayside.vic.gov.au

Ph: 9599 4496