How councils work

Australia has three tiers of government: Federal, State and Local.

Local councils provide essential services to their communities, such as roads, garbage collection, water, sewer, town planning and governance. The powers and responsibilities of local councils are derived from the Local Government Act 1993 which is administered by the NSW Government.

Councils are governed by democratically elected representatives, with elections held every four years.

Narrandera Shire Council is made up of two parts: councillors, who are the elected representatives; and council staff, who are responsible for administration and operational activities.

An elected council sets the overall direction for the municipality through long-term planning and decision making. It adopts a strategic view of the future it wishes to achieve for its community and makes plans and policies to achieve this. The council is responsible for appointing the General Manager (GM) and is also responsible for managing and reviewing the GM’s performance.

Like all democratically elected governments in Australia, councils have the power to raise revenue (partly through council rates) to maintain infrastructure and services and to regulate activities like development. Councils can also impose penalties if local regulations are broken.

The role that local councils provide has expanded over the years due to greater demand and expectation for services by their communities. Local councils provide valuable economic, social and environmental support for communities.

Whether a service is a legislative requirement of councils or is provided by local choice, the Local Government Act 1993 requires that councils are responsive to the needs, interests and aspirations of individuals and groups within their communities.