Working to improve the lives of all residents is my motivation for being on Council. Before every decision, I consider the long term benefit or impact on the community. Advocating for the services and infrastructure that our residents deserve is one of my key roles as Mayor.
Staff shortages are impacting every business that I speak to. With more than 1600 registered job vacancies in our region, unemployment below 3% and numerous unfilled apprenticeship places, attracting and retaining staff is a challenge as we compete with Melbourne and other regional cities. We all need to work together to support our struggling businesses to find the urgently required staff.
Encouraging people to spend longer in the city will assist the profitability of our businesses. I believe in offering our residents and visitors choices, if you wish to park and walk, you need to feel safe to do so. Or if you are in a hurry or have mobility issues and wish to park in front of each business, close parking options are provided. I spend more money incidentally when I see something in the window of a store that I walk past than when I drive from business to business.
At Roberts Place on November 16 and 17, residents were asked what they liked and didn't like about the central activity district (CAD). The Draft Streetscape Plan directly responded to each of these suggestions and presented a diverse range of ideas, options and improvement opportunities.
Thank you to the 152 people who took the time to provide feedback on the Draft CAD Streetscape Plan. Although the main engagement report is yet to come, we know that broad support was received for more trees, lighting, seating and heritage restoration. The majority view was that angle parking is a priority over wide footpaths.
Last weekend saw more than 300 Harley-Davidsons come to town for the Victorian State Rally. I had the pleasure of waving the flag to start the Thunder Roll on Sunday morning and then be pillion on the lead bike for my first ever motorcycle ride. Thank you to the spectators who lined the route, filming, cheering and waving to the riders.
Congratulations and thank you to Bopp and the organising committee for bringing so many visitors to Horsham and showcasing the natural beauty of our region.
It is wonderful to see crowds return to our events and performances. Cricket and tennis finals are now complete and the local winter sport season kicks off with football and netball this weekend. It is sad to hear that so many clubs are struggling to find enough volunteers. Hopefully those who are still reluctant and worried about COVID will regain their confidence and be active in the community again soon.
