Hello Dungog, Councillor Liam Ley doing this week's video update.
Now just before we get into it, you've probably already heard, but at the last meeting in September, I was elected Deputy Mayor, which commences on the 16th of October for a 12 month term. So I just want to talk a little bit about that, my direction, and what I hope to achieve from that role.
So for me, this role is about making sure our community is strongly represented, and it's really building on the momentum that we've already started. And honestly, the truth is, it's the people who are going to be building Dungog and already are. It's the volunteers running these events, it's the thriving art scene that is run by these really dedicated people, and people that have amazing backgrounds in our community already, the local businesses and farmers that are investing back into our Shire. Council's job is to support them and to work with them, and hopefully not get in their way. At the same time, Council does have an important responsibility. We need to provide the policies and plans that give the people the confidence to invest here and keep promoting Dungog as a place of opportunity, and that's something that we have really been focusing on.
Now, for me, the two big issues that come front of mind are roads and housing. Our road funding system is broken. I've talked about this quite a lot. Dungog is the worst affected Council in NSW in my opinion. I'll be backing the Mayor strongly, and to his credit, he has been absolutely focused on this. He's been really pushing this at every level, including the Hunter Joint Organisation, and I'll be working alongside him to keep that pressure on for a fairer deal. So this is something that we will be focusing on. With housing, we know that our DA system wasn't good enough. Approvals were taking far too long, even for things like building sheds, and over the year, Council has made very good progress. We're now within the government set time frames, which is awesome, but we're still going to push to improve that process. There's still improvement that can be made there.
So moving forward, my focus is clear: connecting better with the community, creating opportunities for young people, backing local business and farming, growing tourism and events, and continuing to fight and push for that fairer deal that our Shire really deserves, especially when it comes to road funding. And I'm excited for the time and the next 12 months for our shire, and I'm really looking forward to see where we can take this and to working alongside the Mayor. So that's just a little bit about that. I'll probably leave it at that. But if you are interested in more, if you jump on my Facebook page too, I'll be sharing a lot of other articles and stuff that I'm writing, as well as some blogs about where the direction is that I want to head.
Onto some updates, the Clarence Town Bridge. If you drive over this, you would see that there is quite a large amount of rock being exposed there, particularly on the Clarence Town side. So that is slowing progress somewhat, but it's still on track. On the Limeburners side, earthworks plus pavement are widening commencing now. And if you look down, you will see that there's a barge already in place, and they're working on the bridge section that's going over the water there, and that will continue. So everything's on track there, even though it is taking a little bit longer.
Kerbside green waste collection, the next one is due to commence on Monday 13 October, and continue until the 17th of October. The areas covered will be Clarence Town, Dungog, Gresford, Martins Creek, Paterson and Vacy. So if you do want to get rid of some green waste, it's a great time to do it, especially before it starts to hit summer and get quite hot. Please place your waste out neatly on the curb the weekend before, and avoid blocking footpaths.
