16 September 2020
Response following release of Council's economic statement
Cumberland City Council recently released an economic statement outlining a number of actions to address its financial situation. Swim centres, education and care services, senior's living units and other assets like the Holroyd Centre and Auburn Golf Course are among areas being explored for future savings and to ensure Council is economically viable in the long-term.

The Economic and Fiscal Update shows the impact of two key factors, which have negatively impacted its financial situation; namely the amalgamation process that created Council and the financial crisis flowing from the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Council is looking for efficiencies that don't impact our core business and is focused on getting back-to-basics to ensure there are resources to spend on services the community wants and expects from Council, including essential services, critical works and infrastructure.

The next step is to explore expressions of interests to manage Council's 17 childcare centres, which are running at a loss of $6.4 million dollars, annually.

Read the Economic Statement on the Council website
Council joins Supertee in fight for kids in hospital

This week I joined Council staff members along with local Greystanes resident, father of three and founder of Supertee Jason Sotiris at the Granville Centre for a day of packaging boxes for kids in hospital.

The boxes contained a Supertee, a medical garment disguised as a superhero costume for kids in hospital, particularly kids with severe illnesses who are frequent visitors of the hospital.

Council staff wrote messages to the children and packaged more than 480 boxes, which were delivered to Auburn Hospital, Westmead Children's Hospital and other hospitals around NSW. 

At Council's Christmas party last year, Council purchased one-hundred Supertees which were able to be packaged as part of Supertee Day. 

Council commends Jason's work and encourages residents to learn more about Supertee and how you can help join the fight. 
2021 Citizen of the Year and Community Pride Awards
                                                                                                                        
Each year, Cumberland City Council invites nominations for a group or individual to be recognised in our Local Citizen of the Year and Community Pride Awards. 

These awards aim to acknowledge and honour our local heroes who generously dedicate their time to help make Cumberland City a great place to live.

Please take the time to complete a nomination form and let us know who is a deserving Cumberland City candidate in one of the below categories. 
 
*    Local Citizen of the Year
*    Local Young Citizen of the Year
*    Local Senior Citizen of the Year
*    Community Pride Award (individual)
*    Community Pride Award (school/group/organisation)

Nominations are now open and will close on 2 November 2020.
Nomination forms and criteria can be downloaded from Council's website www.cumberland.nsw.gov.au/coty
JP services at Council's Community Service Centre
                                                                                                                         
During my time as Mayor I have identified that there is a shortage of Justice of the Peace Officers that are readily available to assist our local community.

To remedy this issue JP Services are now available at Cumberland City Council's Merrylands Community Service Centre.

Where: Shop 1/205 Merrylands Road Merrylands.
When: Monday - Friday 8.30am - 4pm.
No appointment necessary, you can just walk in and be assisted by our friendly staff.
DAs available online 
                                                                                                                          
As a further way to make it easier for residents, development applications in Cumberland City can now be lodged electronically through the NSW Planning Portal that is managed by the NSW Government.

Further information on how to lodge applications on the portal is available on www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au

For submissions on current development applications visit
Multilingual resources now available
 to combat domestic and family violence

Cumberland City Council has released a series of domestic and family violence educational videos to assist communities in responding to this issue.

The online resources, which have been translated into Arabic, Dari, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified Chinese) and Tamil, are part of the Living Safely in Cumberland City Project and aim to increase community awareness and understanding of domestic and family violence.

The videos are made up of five modules covering topics such as, 'understanding domestic and family violence', 'how children are affected' and 'support services and useful apps'.

This project is supported by the NSW Government through Women NSW and Department of Communities and Justice and the Domestic Violence Community of Practice.

To view the domestic and family violence educational video, visit the Council website
Council supporting young local athletes

Cumberland City Council has teamed up with the Western Sydney Academy of Sport to offer local athletes the opportunity to access high-quality coaching and educational and personal development across a range of sports disciplines offered by the Academy.

The partnership between Cumberland City Council and the Academy will present young athletes from the Cumberland City LGA with the opportunity to nominate for programs including cycling, digital realty netball and netball umpiring, golf, Heartland Motors Lone Star, rowing, softball and triathlon.

Sport is a great way to challenge yourself, be part of a positive social network and create stronger communities. For more information and to nominate, visit:
Support local business in Cumberland City

Council recognises that the current situation with COVID-19 impacts our local business and wider community. 

If you are a small business owner facing difficulties as a result of COVID-19, Council has created a dedicated page with up-to-date resources and free business webinars for you.

As a local community, we encourage Cumberland City residents to continue to support local businesses by shopping and employing local. 

Whether its ordering from your go-to cafe or restaurant, or sourcing local products and services, the support will go a long way during this time. 

For more business initiatives visit the Council website 
Latest news from Western Sydney Health
The following update from Western Sydney Local Health covers COVID-19 cases up until 10 September 2020.

Self-isolate and get tested immediately (even if you have no symptoms) if you've been to the following locations: 

Greytsanes: St Pauls Catholic College Greystanes on 10 September.

Epping: Plus Fitness: 9am - 10.15am on 5 September.

Oatlands: Oatlands Golf Club: Bavarian Night Dinner 6.30pm - 8.45pm on 4 September.

Parramatta: Albion Hotel: (Beer Garden and Pavilion) 8.15pm - 11.15pm on 5 September. 

Rouse Hill: Rouse Hill Town Centre: (including Target) 12.30pm - 1.30pm on 5 September

Stanhope Gardens: Stanhope Village Shopping Centre: (including Kmart) 8.30am - 9.30am on 7 September.

If you have been to the following locations watch for COVID-19 symptoms like a runny nose or scratchy throat. If symptoms occur, even if they are only mild, immediately get tested and stay home until you get your results.
Contact your Councillors

Cumberland City Council has 14 Councillors representing the five Wards of Granville, Greystanes, South Granville, Regents Park and Wentworthville. 

The primary role of a Councillor is to represent the people who live in their Ward. 

They are your local representative to Council. 

To find out who are the Councillors for your ward and their contact details please click here.
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