CONCERNS have been raised over the effectiveness of Bathurst Regional Council's YourSay portal after at least a dozen submissions were excluded from a report to councillors.
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The YourSay portal on council's website invites members of the public "to share ideas, discuss important topics, provide feedback on policy and planning and contribute to the future of your community".
But when corporate services and finance director Aaron Jones prepared a report for councillors on community feedback to proposed changes to council's meeting practice, at least half of the responses were not included.
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Mr Jones' report said council had received 12 submissions of the draft meeting code of practice but it was later revealed that 13 more that had been lodged through YourSay had gone missing.
Mr Jones tabled a late memo at Wednesday's meeting that included the names of the respondents who had been left out of his report but none of the details of their submissions.
However, the memo stated that "matters raised in these submissions have all been covered in the report".
The oversight prompted Dianne McNab, a former secretary with council and a law firm, to offer her services to help council staff collate public submissions.
We, as ratepayers, expect the information given to councillors to be factual and based on the true situation.
- Dianne McNab
"But, seriously, it is not good enough when people take the time and effort to make a submission on a matter of concern for their submissions not to be considered," Mrs McNab said.
"... If councillors are told that only 12 submissions are received then it affects their view of the public's interest in a matter.
"We, as ratepayers, expect the information given to councillors to be factual and based on the true situation."
Mrs McNab also presented staff with a bag of rubber bands, a reference to a claim in an ICAC hearing in 2011 that a Bathurst Regional Council procedure was like "using a rubber band to drive a Mercedes Benz".
"Perhaps council need more rubber bands," she said.
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