I have today suspended Clarence Valley Council for three months and appointed Mr John Rayner PSM as interim administrator because I reasonably believe his appointment is necessary to restore the proper or effective functioning of the Council.
The Council itself unanimously resolved to seek an external investigation into an extensive range of matters concerning its governance, administration, operations and financial management. Those matters included governance and statutory compliance, workplace culture, recruitment, financial management and procurement, councillor access to information, complaints and Public Interest Disclosures, internal audit and risk management, and possible maladministration, waste and systemic governance failure.
Many of those matters concern fundamental responsibilities of the governing body itself.
I considered submissions and each of the prescribed suspension criteria before making my decision.
Mr Rayner is an experienced local government executive and will exercise the functions of the governing body during the suspension period.
