Four scheduled meetings of the Heritage and Cultural Advisory Committee to Council have failed to take place with not enough members to form a quorum.
It means no meetings have been held this year.
Meetings in February, May, August and November did not proceed due to the lack of a quorum.
The February meeting saw those members who did present choosing to remain online to informally discuss matters but no minutes or actions were taken.
The last meeting in December 2021 also did not proceed.
The latest meeting of the committee was held in September 2021 and the minutes remain unconfirmed.
Meanwhile, in April 2022, Council-under-administration endorsed the Central Coast Heritage Gap Analysis and Action Plan without feedback from the committee.
Council said the action plan was as an interim measure to allow council to apply for funding until the Central Coast Heritage Strategy is adopted.
The Strategy is included in Council’s draft Delivery Program to start in the 2023/24 financial year.
The report to the April meeting said: “Council has an established Heritage Advisory Committee, offers local heritage grants to support activities that celebrate local history and culture, and aims to encourage the retention, conservation and promotion of heritage in the Central Coast local government area.”
Nothing else about heritage has come to Council since the April update.
Minutes from previous years shows the committee had a hand in the objectives of the Community Strategic Plan that related to heritage; and both Gosford and Wyong heritage walks among other projects.
Before amalgamation in 2016, the two former councils’ heritage management practices included conducting regular heritage studies and reviews.
Council has a list of nearly 350 heritage items and detailed development controls that apply to heritage.
The Council-under-administration reduced the number of committees last year, amalgamating a few into a networking group that also has not met once.
Earlier this year, the council sent out a press release saying all committees would be “paused” while their terms of reference would be reviewed.
Hours later, Council blamed human error for the email and said all committees would continue.
Hours later, Council blamed human error for the email and said all committees would continue.
The companion animal working group hasn’t met since July 2021 despite the Council bringing forward and adopting a dog ownership policy this year and putting a dogs in open spaces policy on public exhibition where it was soundly rejected by the public.
Council has gone back to the drawing board with that policy is also working on a cat ownership policy.
Council has gone back to the drawing board with that policy is also working on a cat ownership policy.
