Council’s priorities

We will strengthen our communication and engagement practices to build community trust and consolidate our financial and corporate planning process to ensure our approach is integrated and supports our future goals.

In 2021–22, we:

• continued to improve the user experience of our website and online transactions. This included completing improvements to the Classified Tree Register and improving the Quarterly Service Performance Report dashboard. We improved accessibility and updated content to improve accuracy. We also published all Council policies on our website for community access and to improve transparency. We made ongoing efforts to improve our online forms, particularly for complex transactions, and to automate processes to improve turnaround times for service delivery;
• conducted a range of community engagement activities that helped set out Budget 2022–2023 priorities. These included a Glen Eira Deliberative Citizens’ Panel, an interactive budget simulation tool, and long-term financial recommendations from a group representing residents and stakeholders.
• delivered a range of actions under the Customer Experience Strategy. This included improving our customer request management system to streamline how we manage requests and improve turnaround times; improving our ‘Contact Us’ page on our website to simplify and streamline requests made through that channel and we also refined the process of requests submitted through Snap Send Solve, improving response times through system integrations.

To find out more and view our 2020–2021 progress, download PDF

We will focus on proactively acquiring, developing and unlocking public open spaces and places for our residents to support an active, safe and connected community and contribute to a more sustainable and vibrant City.

In 2021–22, we:

• acquired three properties in Bentleigh — 15, 17 and 19 Porter Road — to create a new local park. We will undertake community engagement later in the year to create concept designs for this much needed space. We have also negotiated with the State Government on the acquisition of selected properties adjacent to the rail corridor in Carnegie;
• engaged with the community to inform the future design of playgrounds in Packer Park and Centenary Park. We have considered all community feedback from the various community engagements on the concept designs for both parks. Through the feedback and comments received, Council has endorsed both the revised play space concept design for Packer Park and the playground design for Centenary Park;
• progressed our Great Walking Streets Project, which aims to identify and remove footpath hazards on our most used streets, to further encourage outdoor exercise and improve physical and mental health. As part of this project, we removed tripping hazards and improved the overall condition of six footpaths across Glen Eira.

To find out more and view our 2020–2021 progress, download PDF

We will seek to strengthen controls to enable us to sustainably manage the growth and change and direct most of the new growth into our network of vibrant activity centres.

In 2021–22, we:

• completed the eight actions for the Year Three of the Social and Affordable Housing Strategy. This work included identifying Council’s plans for improving the availability of social and affordable housing and our role in developing solutions that will see an increase in the provision of social and affordable housing;
• endorsed and consulted with the community on our draft Housing Strategy. The draft Strategy demonstrates how we intend to meet the diverse housing needs of our existing and future communities for the next 15 years and beyond. The final Housing Strategy will be considered for adoption in late 2022; and
• developed a four-year cycling program and made an ongoing annual budget commitment to implement cycling improvements in accordance with the Integrated Transport Strategy 2018 and the Cycling Action Plan 2019. A design for the missing links in the Rosstown Trail has progressed to assist in the staged delivery of cycling improvements over the coming years.

To find out more and view our 2020–2021 progress, download PDF

We will partner with the community, other agencies and all levels of government to prioritise environmental initiatives and take urgent action to reduce emissions and waste in order to protect public health, strengthen the economy and become a city that mitigates and adapts to climate change.

In 2021–22, we:

• incorporated the Environmentally Sustainability Design (ESD) requirements into our Council building and infrastructure projects, including projects such as the ground floor refurbishment at Town Hall, with old furniture and fittings being sold, donated or recycled rather than taken to landfill. The design also includes finishes such as carpet made from recycled materials and energy efficient appliances;
• developed the Climate Conversations program, whereby community members are trained to facilitate conversations with their friends, family and wider community, and motivate them to take action on climate change. Training for community facilitators was conducted in November 2021, and facilitated conversations commenced in March 2022; and
• engaged with the community on our draft Circular Economy Plan for Glen Eira. In a circular economy, the materials we use in products would all be recovered, reprocessed and reused in a continuous loop, rather than becoming waste in landfill. Our draft Circular Economy Plan sets out how we will lead by example and support our community in the transition to a circular economy.

To find out more and view our 2020–2021 progress, download PDF