Labor's plan to revitalise City community services and spaces
The City of Sydney’s community spaces and services are vital tools in rebuilding the strength and resilience of our communities when the City reopens after the COVID Pandemic lockdowns and restrictions.
City of Sydney Labor supports UNICEF’S Child-Friendly City Initiative and the WHO’s Guide for Age-friendly Cities, which promote building sustainable cities and environments committed to honouring the rights of all regardless of age. This includes plenty of green space for people, plants, animals and play, providing opportunities for residents and visitors to exercise, participate in cultural and social events, ensuring that public spaces are accessible to those with varying mobility capacities, and supporting health care and educational institutions.
Cities designed to be child-friendly and age-friendly, facilitating ability and the accessibility to outdoor exercise and activity are happier and more successful cities. They promote diversity, are environmentally friendly, encourage healthy relationships, and promote community-building.
City of Sydney Community Spaces and Services Under Threat
The City of Sydney’s community spaces and services are under-resourced, under threat, and subject to privatisation by stealth.
Private and for-profit organisations are eligible to receive subsidised space from the Council, and in a range of circumstances have begun charging City communities to participate in small scale activities in their venue, reducing community access to what should be a community space. This shift of community centres into becoming one-off for-rent venues opens the door for the privatisation of public spaces.
To add to this, many City of Sydney community venues have had staffing allocations significantly reduced and, as a result, the strong community connection that existed and the provision of accessible community space is under threat.
Our City of Sydney libraries are crucial meeting spaces for residents of all ages, including for children’s services and events, and access to technology for community members who otherwise don’t have access. Our residents increasingly borrow books from our libraries in various formats.
Between 2004 and 2015, the Council had raked in over $1 million in library fines from residents. As a result of Clr Linda Scott’s efforts to call this out, it was revealed the cost of pursuing recovery of library fines and replacing overdue books well exceeded the actual revenue created. Clr Linda Scott successfully won a commitment from Council to do away with library fines for 4 years resulting in 67,945 items overdue items being returned and reducing the administrative costs of pursuing fines.
Labor’s Commitment to City Communities
If elected Lord Mayor, Linda Scott and City of Sydney Labor will work to restore local services and revitalise community spaces.
City of Sydney Labor is committed to restoring permanent staff to community centres, ensuring that these crucial community facilities are accessible to community groups and integral parts of local neighbourhoods’ activity. We will bring back working artists and knowledgeable City staff to run and facilitate community activities, community groups and gatherings, all-age exercise classes, arts and crafts, and other activities for the local community without cost to locals to breathe life back into these centres, and to promote a strong sense of community connectivity.
City of Sydney Labor will retain free library access and permanently do away with library fines and not return their costly administrative process.
City of Sydney Labor will expand childcare services to those who need it most and ensure our play spaces are accessible and inclusive.
Linda Scott and City of Sydney Labor are committed to:
Restoration of Post-COVID Services and Staff
Prior to and during the COVID pandemic, our City staff, who had extensive local connections and held decades of community knowledge, were stood down from service on the City’s community centres. Many of these staff have not returned, and our local communities are worse because of it.
City of Sydney Labor will restore City staff to community centres, so they can rebuild our local community knowledge base and expand community activities such as playgroups, allied health services, arts and craft classes, choirs, and community groups. City of Sydney Labor will also trial free use of community rooms for pensioners, public housing residents, and P&C groups.
City of Sydney Labor will open up community centres for chambers of commerce and business networking
Re-Establish Community Centres and City of Sydney Town Halls
City of Sydney Labor will establish a staffed community centre at City of Sydney Town Halls, such as Glebe Town Hall and Redfern Community Centre, to provide support for community building and space for community use with accessible service.
End of Outsourcing of Council Spaces and Services
Linda Scott and City of Sydney Labor are committed to undertake a review and develop a business case to examine the feasibility of reducing outsourcing of council venues and services to improve the quality of service delivery to residents and businesses.
Clr Linda Scott was the only City of Sydney Councillor to vote against the outsourcing of waste management services; City of Sydney Labor will continue the fight for the preservation of Council owned and operated public spaces in the City of Sydney.
Free Library Access; No Library Fines
Labor’s Clr Linda Scott successfully advocated for the doubling of all NSW Government funding for Council libraries. Under Labor, the City of Sydney will not charge library fines to encourage more use and access of City libraries, and continue to strongly advocate for the NSW Government to increase local government library funding.
City of Sydney Community Facilities will become Vaccine Hubs
City of Sydney Labor will work with state and federal government to use City community facilities as vaccine hubs to speed up the vaccine rollout and protect those most vulnerable in our community.
Inclusive Playspaces
City of Sydney Labor is committed to creating more inclusive play spaces where everyone can play - young and old, families and carers, and people of all abilities.
Caring for our Children
The City of Sydney currently owns and operates four child care centres as well as after-school and vacation care programs. City of Sydney Labor will examine expanding this services to provide more affordable and quality care for City of Sydney families. This will include investigating areas and suburbs that need care the most and subsidising access to services for low-income families.
Connecting Communities
City of Sydney Labor will investigate creating more shared pathways for walking, prams, bikes, scooters and skateboards, to connect City communities to schools, parks, playgrounds, sporting fields and local businesses and high streets. City of Sydney Labor will work with the NSW State Government to ensure access to more public transport, and ensure train stations are completely accessible and safe as a matter of urgency.
A Safe City
City of Sydney Labor is committed to keeping City speed limits low, to encourage more pedestrian and safe cycling throughout our City. City of Sydney Labor is committed to investigating the creation of more shared zones and lower speed zones for all communities, especially near schools, playgrounds and child care centres.
City of Sydney Labor will give City streets back to people, making them more walkable for all and encouraging active transport while ensuring the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. City of Sydney Labor will work to extend the time of the green pedestrian signal so that people can make it safely across the road.
Car-Free Streets
City of Sydney Labor will investigate closing off City streets to traffic for one-off events and car-free days and, in some cases, permanently. Temporarily closing streets helps bring neighbours and communities together and increases economic activity for local shops by encouraging more foot traffic and creating new safe areas for children to play.
Linda Scott and City of Sydney Labor have previously announced the creation of a Community Support Fund - funded by Linda’s Lord Mayoral salary to support local communities and invest in a fun, fair and sustainable Sydney.