Under the Local Government Act 2009 councils are required to prepare a 10-year community plan and report annually its implementation. The community plan represents the community’s views, visions and values for the future of the local government area. It’s the primary guide for council corporate plans, long-term financial forecasts and long-term asset management plans.

The specific details of the plan, and the method of community engagement, are decided by individual councils. However direction is provided in the Local Government (Finance, Plans and Reporting) Regulation 2010 as follows:

• A five-step process for developing a community plan:
  • Phase 1: intelligence-gathering
  • Phase 2: community input
  • Phase 3: community vision
  • Phase 4: community validation
  • Phase 5: policy and adoption.
• Criteria for adopting a community plan and when it can be renewed.
• Contents of a community plan to include information on:
  • the engagement process
  • issues such as economic development, environmental management, governance and social wellbeing.

The annual report, which the Act requires each council to prepare, provides a comprehensive account of action taken in relation to expenditure on services, facilities and activities undertaken in the previous financial year. It allows local governments to report on performance and provides the community with the opportunity to assess performance against the goals in the community plan, corporate plan and operational plan.

Legislation extracts

• Local Government Act 2009 - s104 Financial management, planning and accountability documents

   

  104 Financial management, planning and accountability documents: (3) The planning and accountability documents include the following documents— (a) an annual report; (b) a 5-year corporate plan; (c) an annual operational plan; (d) a long-term community plan; (e) a financial plan; (f) a long-term asset management plan; (g) a report on the results of an annual review of the implementation of the annual operational plan, 5-year corporate plan and long-term community plan. (4) A long-term community plan is a document that— (a) outlines the local government’s goals, strategies and policies for implementing the local government’s vision for the future of the local government area, during the period covered by the plan; and (b) covers a period of at least 10 years after the commencement of the plan.

• Local Government (Finance, Plans and Reporting) Regulation 2010 - s125 Process for preparing a long-term community plan

   

  125 Process for preparing a long-term community plan The local government must prepare the long-term community plan consistently with the following process— • intelligence gathering phase The local government— (a) considers current and emerging trends, issues and relationships that affect the local government and the community; and (b) identifies key descriptive data about the community by gathering and analysing data obtained from surveys, focus groups and existing forecasts, plans and proposals; and (c) analyses and evaluates relevant internal data, external data and the key descriptive data; and (d) identifies areas for which more information is required. • community input phase The local government engages with the community, in a way that is consistent with the community engagement policy, to identify and prioritise the planning themes on which the development of the long-term community plan is based. • community vision phase The local government develops its vision for the future of the local government area having regard to its engagement with the community. • community validation phase The local government— (a) reviews the vision for the local government area; and (b) prepares a draft long-term community plan; and (c) engages with the community about its vision for the local government area, the planning themes on which the development of the long-term community plan is based and the draft long-term community plan. • policy and adoption phase The local government— (a) considers the impact of the draft long-term community plan on its long-term financial forecast, financial plan, and long-term asset managementplan; and (b) finalises and adopts the long-term community plan.

• Local Government (Finance, Plans and Reporting) Regulation 2010 - s126 Adoption of long-term community plan

   

  126 Adoption of long-term community plan (1) The local government must adopt the long-term community plan but only if it is satisfied the plan— (a) outlines the engagement process undertaken by the local government with the community in the development of the plan; and (b) complies with the requirements under section 127. (2) The long-term community plan continues in force— (a) for the period of at least 10 financial years stated in the long-term community plan; or (b) until the earlier adoption of a new long-term community plan. (3) The local government may join with 1 or more other local governments to prepare a long-term community plan and adopt the plan for its local government area.

• Local Government (Finance, Plans and Reporting) Regulation 2010 - s127 Long-term community plan contents

   

  127 Long-term community plan contents (1) The long-term community plan must state— (a) how the local government engaged with the community in preparing the plan and the extent to which the engagement was consistent with the local government’s community engagement policy; and (b) how the local government has considered and incorporated local and regional issues that affect, or may in the future affect, the local government area, including issues relating to the following— (i) economic development; (ii) environmental management; (iii) governance; (iv) social wellbeing. Examples— • art and culture development • cultural and linguistic diversity • housing • population change • community health (2) The plan may include separate provisions applying differently to different areas within the local government area.