Kevin Brooks announces run for council
Bensville resident Mr Kevin Brooks has announced that he will run as a candidate for the September Central Coast Council elections.
Mr Brooks is a regular speaker at the Council's Public Forum, where he made the announcement last Tuesday, June 25.
As in previous speeches, he opposed "excessive rate hikes".
He said the Council's Operational Plan incorporated a 4.8 per cent increase in general rates and 11.9 per cent increase in water rates from July 1.
He said that Council rates (general and water) had now risen 39 per cent in just four years, "yet services continue to go backwards in priority areas".
"Three years ago, Council told the community it must choose between higher rates or worse services.
"We have ended up with both.
"Despite increasing revenue from rates by 39 per cent in four years, priority services continue to decline.
"The average time for determining development applications has more than doubled.
"Water and sewer unplanned service interruptions, mains breaks, and leaks are all increasing.
"Seventeen per cent of our roads get the lowest possible one star AusRAP rating.
"Over 30 per cent of customers surveyed did not think the Council's response was empathetic - a terrible indictment on customer culture and one I can certainly relate to.
"This was not even mentioned last meeting when Council incorrectly claimed it had met an 80 per cent satisfaction target despite averaging less than 80 per cent across all survey questions - one of 28 targets misreported as achieved or on track when in reality they were missed or behind, another illustration of how spin and propaganda has replaced authentic communication.
"Ratepayers are paying more for less because Council has still not addressed underlying problems within the organisation, in management, efficiency, productivity, prioritisation and above all culture.
"Instead, during four years of taxation without representation, an unaccountable bureaucracy has put its own interests above those of the community.
"For too long we, the humble and blameless residents of the Central Coast, have been paying the price for poor leadership, mismanagement, and dysfunction in Central Coast, Gosford, and Wyong Councils.
"A fresh approach is needed.
"But if we want change, it is up to all of us in the community to be the change we want to see.
"That is why tonight, I am announcing my intention to run as a candidate in the September elections.
"And I say to the community, if you are tired of paying too much for too little and want change - then you too can be the change you want to see."
Mr Brooks said that, before emigrating to Australia in 2008, he had spent 11 years in the UK banking industry.
He said he had been an elected member of two UK Councils, one with 55 councillors.
The second time, Mr Brooks was the elected Leader of a 33-member council in Essex (Harlow) and inherited a financial crisis from the previous administration.
Mr Brooks claimed that by the time he stepped down to emigrate to Australia, he had achieved a turnaround in the Council's finances and performance.
Mr Brooks said: "We improved business processes and efficiency, for example through smarter targets and better reporting.
"The biggest thing I learned was the importance of prioritisation in local government, where there is such a wide range of functions, much of it discretionary.
"If you're not careful, you can end up trying to do too much and doing none of it well.
"We consulted the community about priorities and sought to allocate resources accordingly.
"This did mean some tough decisions but, in the end, customer satisfaction improved because we focused on what mattered most to the community."
Mr Brooks said he was a member of the UK Labour Party.
He served as district media spokesperson, district party leader, and council leader.
He said he had not been a member of any political party since emigrating to Australia and was proudly non-partisan.
He said he grew disillusioned with partisan politics and the restrictions party dogmas can impose on free thinking.
Mr Brooks said: "My values have always been those of 19th century social liberal thinkers such as John Stuart Mill.
"These values include economic rationalism, freedom of speech, tolerance, equality of opportunity, scientific progress, democracy and meritocracy.
"These values were once mainstream in Western democracies, but I have never seen them under greater threat whether from autocratic regimes abroad or at times from parties of both left and right within western democracies themselves.
"Neither side of politics within Australian democracy fully embraces these values which is why I am now happy to be non-partisan."
He said he hoped other candidates would follow hia lead and set out their qualifications and experience.
SOURCE:
Media release, 1 Jul 2024
Kevin Brooks, Bensville