08-05-2025
Lord mayor says probe reveals need to better engage and build 'trust'
NOVOCASTRIANS did not hold back when it came to venting their concerns with City of Newcastle in public submissions to an independent probe into the council's policies, procedures and processes.
Newcastle Airport expenditure and board appointments, the Scott Neylon/Jeremy Bath/Jason Sivo letters saga, Mr Bath himself, the council's Christmas parties and lavish lucky door prizes were just some of the issues raised in some 800 submissions to the review.
The full report and finer details of the probe will be made available to the public on May 21, but Newcastle Independent lord mayor Ross Kerridge said on first glance he feels "reassured" the council is "functioning well".
"I think the main thing that they've identified is the need for better engagement and trust with the community and communication, particularly early engagement about big projects, and then there are some issues around financial reporting," he said
"It's going to take a long time to work on that [trust with community], and I think it would be dangerous, and I even think with some of the responses there that I worry people will say, 'Oh, it's a huge ringing endorsement'.
"Yes, it is an endorsement, but that doesn't mean that there aren't areas for improvement, and they are serious areas for improvement."
Cr Kerridge said discussions have already been had on strategies to build better communication and trust with the community and within the council.
As part of the review process, Davidson Business Advisory had the task of wading through some 800 public submissions.
At least 260 internal council documents were considered, including strategies, plans, budgets, policies, media clips and council reports.
Davidson undertook 27 one-on-one consultations with corporate staff, the lord mayor and councillors, as well as three independent members of the council's Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee (ARIC).
In response to a question from Liberal deputy lord mayor Callum Pull, Davidson confirmed that no matters raised amid the review needed to be referred to the Independent Commission Against Corruption or another external agency.
There were "no matters of fraud or corruption identified" in the review.
The council and a packed public gallery heard at Thursday's meeting that the review cost in the order of $80,000.
More than 20 submissions were made about the Newcastle Airport, which focused mostly on board appointment processes and concerns about that, reports of decisions being made outside council delegations without council awareness and an increase in expenditure due to development.
Davison's lead consultant Colin Jensen noted the airport board structure was "necessarily complicated" because of the joint ownership between City of Newcastle and Port Stephens Council.
He said the "overarching observation" is that City of Newcastle has used its delegation to make "appropriate decisions" around the appointment of directors "currently, recently and in the past".
A shortcoming was identified, which was that the council's Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee (ARIC) should receive regular briefings on the airport.
Mr Jensen said it was "not appropriate" to go into further detail on the airport at this stage but said there is more to come in the report.
The Scott Neylon/Jeremy Bath/Jason Sivo letters saga was a topic that came up frequently as part of the review process.
Mr Jensen said Davidson found the investigations into the matter were "done appropriately" and by the "appropriate authorities".
The 2023 council-commissioned independent investigation into the City of Newcastle CEO's links to a long-term Herald letter writer found "no evidence that the CEO incentivised the author to write the articles".
The Newcastle Herald was not contacted during the investigation, nor were copies of the letters requested.
Mr Jensen said many public submissions focused specifically on City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath, and in many instances referred to decisions "espoused" to have been made by the chief executive.
However, Mr Jensen said that upon review, many of the decisions residents raised issues with were made prior to his appointment or were decisions made by the elected councillors.
Issues were also raised with council decisions, but Mr Jensen said no instances were identified where those decisions fell outside regulatory or approval processes.
"Findings highlight opportunities for improved communication, enhanced community engagement," he said.
Mr Jensen said better engagement and communication would contribute to a "broader understanding of those council decisions".
Davidson gave City of Newcastle's staff Christmas party expenditure the tick of approval.
The Newcastle Herald revealed in January that City of Newcastle (CN) staff were treated to lavish lucky door prizes in a gift-giving frenzy in December.
The items up for grabs included a hot air balloon ride, Dyson Airwrap hair stylers, skydiving, a walking pad, Nintendo Switch, power tools, theatre tickets, a Nutribullet, portable speaker, Yeti cooler, Cool Cabana, recliner camp chair, cinema and dining vouchers.
Fellow Davidson consultant Justin Hanney said the cost-per-head of the council's Christmas party compared favourably with costs for other NSW councils' Christmas celebrations.
"When you dig into this issue historically, each staffer was given a Christmas cake that was replaced with prizes in a raffle-type environment which reduced the cost by 50 per cent in expenditure overall," he said.
Mr Hanney said there is a "direct link" between how staff are rewarded and organisational culture and congratulated the CEO on personally paying for an executive team Christmas gathering.
No excessive spending was identified and there were no "adverse findings" on the Christmas bash.
Davidson has found that while City of Newcastle has a "healthy organisational culture" the relationship between the CEO, councillors and lord mayor will be "critical" to the organisational success of the council.
Members of the public raised concerns about leadership dynamics, the approach to political transitions and challenges with alignment between the council's leadership team and elected councillors.
Mr Hanney said while a difference in opinion shows a healthy democracy, once a decision is made the CEO is accountable for ensuring that position is implemented across the board.
He said the council should focus on strengthening the relationship between the CEO, executive team and councillors for a more unified approach.
When it comes to staff, Mr Hanney said the council's staff engagement survey results indicated year-on-year improvement.
The full report will be tabled at the May 27 council meeting, and with plenty of issues covered the Newcastle Herald will have more to come.
To see live coverage of the public briefing, click here.
NOVOCASTRIANS did not hold back when it came to venting their concerns with City of Newcastle in public submissions to an independent probe into the council's policies, procedures and processes.
Newcastle Airport expenditure and board appointments, the Scott Neylon/Jeremy Bath/Jason Sivo letters saga, Mr Bath himself, the council's Christmas parties and lavish lucky door prizes were just some of the issues raised in some 800 submissions to the review.
The full report and finer details of the probe will be made available to the public on May 21, but Newcastle Independent lord mayor Ross Kerridge said on first glance he feels "reassured" the council is "functioning well".
"I think the main thing that they've identified is the need for better engagement and trust with the community and communication, particularly early engagement about big projects, and then there are some issues around financial reporting," he said
"It's going to take a long time to work on that [trust with community], and I think it would be dangerous, and I even think with some of the responses there that I worry people will say, 'Oh, it's a huge ringing endorsement'.
"Yes, it is an endorsement, but that doesn't mean that there aren't areas for improvement, and they are serious areas for improvement."
Cr Kerridge said discussions have already been had on strategies to build better communication and trust with the community and within the council.
As part of the review process, Davidson Business Advisory had the task of wading through some 800 public submissions.
At least 260 internal council documents were considered, including strategies, plans, budgets, policies, media clips and council reports.
Davidson undertook 27 one-on-one consultations with corporate staff, the lord mayor and councillors, as well as three independent members of the council's Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee (ARIC).
In response to a question from Liberal deputy lord mayor Callum Pull, Davidson confirmed that no matters raised amid the review needed to be referred to the Independent Commission Against Corruption or another external agency.
There were "no matters of fraud or corruption identified" in the review.
The council and a packed public gallery heard at Thursday's meeting that the review cost in the order of $80,000.
More than 20 submissions were made about the Newcastle Airport, which focused mostly on board appointment processes and concerns about that, reports of decisions being made outside council delegations without council awareness and an increase in expenditure due to development.
Davison's lead consultant Colin Jensen noted the airport board structure was "necessarily complicated" because of the joint ownership between City of Newcastle and Port Stephens Council.
He said the "overarching observation" is that City of Newcastle has used its delegation to make "appropriate decisions" around the appointment of directors "currently, recently and in the past".
A shortcoming was identified, which was that the council's Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee (ARIC) should receive regular briefings on the airport.
Mr Jensen said it was "not appropriate" to go into further detail on the airport at this stage but said there is more to come in the report.
The Scott Neylon/Jeremy Bath/Jason Sivo letters saga was a topic that came up frequently as part of the review process.
Mr Jensen said Davidson found the investigations into the matter were "done appropriately" and by the "appropriate authorities".
The 2023 council-commissioned independent investigation into the City of Newcastle CEO's links to a long-term Herald letter writer found "no evidence that the CEO incentivised the author to write the articles".
The Newcastle Herald was not contacted during the investigation, nor were copies of the letters requested.
Mr Jensen said many public submissions focused specifically on City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath, and in many instances referred to decisions "espoused" to have been made by the chief executive.
However, Mr Jensen said that upon review, many of the decisions residents raised issues with were made prior to his appointment or were decisions made by the elected councillors.
Issues were also raised with council decisions, but Mr Jensen said no instances were identified where those decisions fell outside regulatory or approval processes.
"Findings highlight opportunities for improved communication, enhanced community engagement," he said.
Mr Jensen said better engagement and communication would contribute to a "broader understanding of those council decisions".
Davidson gave City of Newcastle's staff Christmas party expenditure the tick of approval.
The Newcastle Herald revealed in January that City of Newcastle (CN) staff were treated to lavish lucky door prizes in a gift-giving frenzy in December.
The items up for grabs included a hot air balloon ride, Dyson Airwrap hair stylers, skydiving, a walking pad, Nintendo Switch, power tools, theatre tickets, a Nutribullet, portable speaker, Yeti cooler, Cool Cabana, recliner camp chair, cinema and dining vouchers.
Fellow Davidson consultant Justin Hanney said the cost-per-head of the council's Christmas party compared favourably with costs for other NSW councils' Christmas celebrations.
"When you dig into this issue historically, each staffer was given a Christmas cake that was replaced with prizes in a raffle-type environment which reduced the cost by 50 per cent in expenditure overall," he said.
Mr Hanney said there is a "direct link" between how staff are rewarded and organisational culture and congratulated the CEO on personally paying for an executive team Christmas gathering.
No excessive spending was identified and there were no "adverse findings" on the Christmas bash.
Davidson has found that while City of Newcastle has a "healthy organisational culture" the relationship between the CEO, councillors and lord mayor will be "critical" to the organisational success of the council.
Members of the public raised concerns about leadership dynamics, the approach to political transitions and challenges with alignment between the council's leadership team and elected councillors.
Mr Hanney said while a difference in opinion shows a healthy democracy, once a decision is made the CEO is accountable for ensuring that position is implemented across the board.
He said the council should focus on strengthening the relationship between the CEO, executive team and councillors for a more unified approach.
When it comes to staff, Mr Hanney said the council's staff engagement survey results indicated year-on-year improvement.
The full report will be tabled at the May 27 council meeting, and with plenty of issues covered the Newcastle Herald will have more to come.
To see live coverage of the public briefing, click here.
NOVOCASTRIANS did not hold back when it came to venting their concerns with City of Newcastle in public submissions to an independent probe into the council's policies, procedures and processes.
Newcastle Airport expenditure and board appointments, the Scott Neylon/Jeremy Bath/Jason Sivo letters saga, Mr Bath himself, the council's Christmas parties and lavish lucky door prizes were just some of the issues raised in some 800 submissions to the review.
The full report and finer details of the probe will be made available to the public on May 21, but Newcastle Independent lord mayor Ross Kerridge said on first glance he feels "reassured" the council is "functioning well".
"I think the main thing that they've identified is the need for better engagement and trust with the community and communication, particularly early engagement about big projects, and then there are some issues around financial reporting," he said
"It's going to take a long time to work on that [trust with community], and I think it would be dangerous, and I even think with some of the responses there that I worry people will say, 'Oh, it's a huge ringing endorsement'.
"Yes, it is an endorsement, but that doesn't mean that there aren't areas for improvement, and they are serious areas for improvement."
Cr Kerridge said discussions have already been had on strategies to build better communication and trust with the community and within the council.
As part of the review process, Davidson Business Advisory had the task of wading through some 800 public submissions.
At least 260 internal council documents were considered, including strategies, plans, budgets, policies, media clips and council reports.
Davidson undertook 27 one-on-one consultations with corporate staff, the lord mayor and councillors, as well as three independent members of the council's Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee (ARIC).
In response to a question from Liberal deputy lord mayor Callum Pull, Davidson confirmed that no matters raised amid the review needed to be referred to the Independent Commission Against Corruption or another external agency.
There were "no matters of fraud or corruption identified" in the review.
The council and a packed public gallery heard at Thursday's meeting that the review cost in the order of $80,000.
More than 20 submissions were made about the Newcastle Airport, which focused mostly on board appointment processes and concerns about that, reports of decisions being made outside council delegations without council awareness and an increase in expenditure due to development.
Davison's lead consultant Colin Jensen noted the airport board structure was "necessarily complicated" because of the joint ownership between City of Newcastle and Port Stephens Council.
He said the "overarching observation" is that City of Newcastle has used its delegation to make "appropriate decisions" around the appointment of directors "currently, recently and in the past".
A shortcoming was identified, which was that the council's Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee (ARIC) should receive regular briefings on the airport.
Mr Jensen said it was "not appropriate" to go into further detail on the airport at this stage but said there is more to come in the report.
The Scott Neylon/Jeremy Bath/Jason Sivo letters saga was a topic that came up frequently as part of the review process.
Mr Jensen said Davidson found the investigations into the matter were "done appropriately" and by the "appropriate authorities".
The 2023 council-commissioned independent investigation into the City of Newcastle CEO's links to a long-term Herald letter writer found "no evidence that the CEO incentivised the author to write the articles".
The Newcastle Herald was not contacted during the investigation, nor were copies of the letters requested.
Mr Jensen said many public submissions focused specifically on City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath, and in many instances referred to decisions "espoused" to have been made by the chief executive.
However, Mr Jensen said that upon review, many of the decisions residents raised issues with were made prior to his appointment or were decisions made by the elected councillors.
Issues were also raised with council decisions, but Mr Jensen said no instances were identified where those decisions fell outside regulatory or approval processes.
"Findings highlight opportunities for improved communication, enhanced community engagement," he said.
Mr Jensen said better engagement and communication would contribute to a "broader understanding of those council decisions".
Davidson gave City of Newcastle's staff Christmas party expenditure the tick of approval.
The Newcastle Herald revealed in January that City of Newcastle (CN) staff were treated to lavish lucky door prizes in a gift-giving frenzy in December.
The items up for grabs included a hot air balloon ride, Dyson Airwrap hair stylers, skydiving, a walking pad, Nintendo Switch, power tools, theatre tickets, a Nutribullet, portable speaker, Yeti cooler, Cool Cabana, recliner camp chair, cinema and dining vouchers.
Fellow Davidson consultant Justin Hanney said the cost-per-head of the council's Christmas party compared favourably with costs for other NSW councils' Christmas celebrations.
"When you dig into this issue historically, each staffer was given a Christmas cake that was replaced with prizes in a raffle-type environment which reduced the cost by 50 per cent in expenditure overall," he said.
Mr Hanney said there is a "direct link" between how staff are rewarded and organisational culture and congratulated the CEO on personally paying for an executive team Christmas gathering.
No excessive spending was identified and there were no "adverse findings" on the Christmas bash.
Davidson has found that while City of Newcastle has a "healthy organisational culture" the relationship between the CEO, councillors and lord mayor will be "critical" to the organisational success of the council.
Members of the public raised concerns about leadership dynamics, the approach to political transitions and challenges with alignment between the council's leadership team and elected councillors.
Mr Hanney said while a difference in opinion shows a healthy democracy, once a decision is made the CEO is accountable for ensuring that position is implemented across the board.
He said the council should focus on strengthening the relationship between the CEO, executive team and councillors for a more unified approach.
When it comes to staff, Mr Hanney said the council's staff engagement survey results indicated year-on-year improvement.
The full report will be tabled at the May 27 council meeting, and with plenty of issues covered the Newcastle Herald will have more to come.
To see live coverage of the public briefing, click here.
NOVOCASTRIANS did not hold back when it came to venting their concerns with City of Newcastle in public submissions to an independent probe into the council's policies, procedures and processes.
Newcastle Airport expenditure and board appointments, the Scott Neylon/Jeremy Bath/Jason Sivo letters saga, Mr Bath himself, the council's Christmas parties and lavish lucky door prizes were just some of the issues raised in some 800 submissions to the review.
The full report and finer details of the probe will be made available to the public on May 21, but Newcastle Independent lord mayor Ross Kerridge said on first glance he feels "reassured" the council is "functioning well".
"I think the main thing that they've identified is the need for better engagement and trust with the community and communication, particularly early engagement about big projects, and then there are some issues around financial reporting," he said
"It's going to take a long time to work on that [trust with community], and I think it would be dangerous, and I even think with some of the responses there that I worry people will say, 'Oh, it's a huge ringing endorsement'.
"Yes, it is an endorsement, but that doesn't mean that there aren't areas for improvement, and they are serious areas for improvement."
Cr Kerridge said discussions have already been had on strategies to build better communication and trust with the community and within the council.
As part of the review process, Davidson Business Advisory had the task of wading through some 800 public submissions.
At least 260 internal council documents were considered, including strategies, plans, budgets, policies, media clips and council reports.
Davidson undertook 27 one-on-one consultations with corporate staff, the lord mayor and councillors, as well as three independent members of the council's Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee (ARIC).
In response to a question from Liberal deputy lord mayor Callum Pull, Davidson confirmed that no matters raised amid the review needed to be referred to the Independent Commission Against Corruption or another external agency.
There were "no matters of fraud or corruption identified" in the review.
The council and a packed public gallery heard at Thursday's meeting that the review cost in the order of $80,000.
More than 20 submissions were made about the Newcastle Airport, which focused mostly on board appointment processes and concerns about that, reports of decisions being made outside council delegations without council awareness and an increase in expenditure due to development.
Davison's lead consultant Colin Jensen noted the airport board structure was "necessarily complicated" because of the joint ownership between City of Newcastle and Port Stephens Council.
He said the "overarching observation" is that City of Newcastle has used its delegation to make "appropriate decisions" around the appointment of directors "currently, recently and in the past".
A shortcoming was identified, which was that the council's Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee (ARIC) should receive regular briefings on the airport.
Mr Jensen said it was "not appropriate" to go into further detail on the airport at this stage but said there is more to come in the report.
The Scott Neylon/Jeremy Bath/Jason Sivo letters saga was a topic that came up frequently as part of the review process.
Mr Jensen said Davidson found the investigations into the matter were "done appropriately" and by the "appropriate authorities".
The 2023 council-commissioned independent investigation into the City of Newcastle CEO's links to a long-term Herald letter writer found "no evidence that the CEO incentivised the author to write the articles".
The Newcastle Herald was not contacted during the investigation, nor were copies of the letters requested.
Mr Jensen said many public submissions focused specifically on City of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath, and in many instances referred to decisions "espoused" to have been made by the chief executive.
However, Mr Jensen said that upon review, many of the decisions residents raised issues with were made prior to his appointment or were decisions made by the elected councillors.
Issues were also raised with council decisions, but Mr Jensen said no instances were identified where those decisions fell outside regulatory or approval processes.
"Findings highlight opportunities for improved communication, enhanced community engagement," he said.
Mr Jensen said better engagement and communication would contribute to a "broader understanding of those council decisions".
Davidson gave City of Newcastle's staff Christmas party expenditure the tick of approval.
The Newcastle Herald revealed in January that City of Newcastle (CN) staff were treated to lavish lucky door prizes in a gift-giving frenzy in December.
The items up for grabs included a hot air balloon ride, Dyson Airwrap hair stylers, skydiving, a walking pad, Nintendo Switch, power tools, theatre tickets, a Nutribullet, portable speaker, Yeti cooler, Cool Cabana, recliner camp chair, cinema and dining vouchers.
Fellow Davidson consultant Justin Hanney said the cost-per-head of the council's Christmas party compared favourably with costs for other NSW councils' Christmas celebrations.
"When you dig into this issue historically, each staffer was given a Christmas cake that was replaced with prizes in a raffle-type environment which reduced the cost by 50 per cent in expenditure overall," he said.
Mr Hanney said there is a "direct link" between how staff are rewarded and organisational culture and congratulated the CEO on personally paying for an executive team Christmas gathering.
No excessive spending was identified and there were no "adverse findings" on the Christmas bash.
Davidson has found that while City of Newcastle has a "healthy organisational culture" the relationship between the CEO, councillors and lord mayor will be "critical" to the organisational success of the council.
Members of the public raised concerns about leadership dynamics, the approach to political transitions and challenges with alignment between the council's leadership team and elected councillors.
Mr Hanney said while a difference in opinion shows a healthy democracy, once a decision is made the CEO is accountable for ensuring that position is implemented across the board.
He said the council should focus on strengthening the relationship between the CEO, executive team and councillors for a more unified approach.
When it comes to staff, Mr Hanney said the council's staff engagement survey results indicated year-on-year improvement.
The full report will be tabled at the May 27 council meeting, and with plenty of issues covered the Newcastle Herald will have more to come.
To see live coverage of the public briefing, click here.
