Central Coast Council’s Annual Report 2021-2022 has been released, providing a comprehensive account of Council’s performance from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022.

Despite significant challenges presented during the 12-month period, including the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain issues, La Niña wet weather conditions and Council’s financial situation, Council was able to achieve some significant outcomes.

Highlights for 2021-22 include:

• Central Coast Local Environmental Plan 2022 (CCLEP 2022) and Central Coast Development Control Plan 2022 (CCDCP 2022) finalised, providing a uniform set of planning controls for the entire Central Coast
• Preparation and endorsement of the Central Coast Water Security Plan
• ECO Destination Certification for the Central Coast, recognised by Ecotourism Australia (we are one of the first regions in the country to be recognised!) 
• A full calendar of community events and activities even through COVID-19 restrictions, including Chromefest, the Harvest Festival, Taste of Toukley, Senior Week, Youth Week and many more
• Completion of the hallmark Woy Woy Town Centre Wharf
• Delivery of essential and community infrastructure across the region, including play spaces, road upgrades, shared pathways and more

Here’s some of the achievements in numbers: 

• 16,088,970 kerbside bin collections
• 34,255 tonnes of household recyclables diverted from landfill
• 59,294 tonnes of garden organics and biosolids diverted from landfill
• 2,148 Active Kid and First Lap vouchers redeemed (valued at $214,800)
• 722,821 attendances across Council’s six leisure centres and pools
• 2,560 group fitness classes and 720 aqua fitness classes delivered
• 3,283 building certification inspections undertaken
• 488 new lots released
• 2,883 development applications lodged
• 24,086 community hall bookings
• 19,748 open space and reserve bookings
• 205 community leases managed
• 85,668 potholes filled
• 280 kilometres of road grading completed
• 2.47 kilometres of drainage infrastructure constructed
• And much more, read on here: Annual Report 2021-22

The last 12 months have seen Central Coast Council transition from ‘fixing the financial problem’ to building long term financial sustainability. As an organisation, we have met all the financial recovery plan milestones, with the focus shifting toward consolidating and improving the performance of the organisation. 

In fact, we are now in a position to pay down some debt earlier than planned. Our strong financial performance for 2021-2022 means that we can allocate surpluses to pay down some debt earlier than originally forecast and set aside funds for future needs. 

Funds of $50M have been allocated to Emergency Loan Repayment and will be used to pay down a portion of the emergency loans in December 2023, while funds of $5M have been allocated to Future Projects Reserve to assist with planning ahead for future projects.

I would like to acknowledge the persistence and dedication of Council staff who have all played a significant role in reshaping this organisation’s direction.

I sincerely thank you, the community of the Central Coast, for standing by this organisation in tough times.

Together, we can look forward to continued improvement in 2022-2023. 

Rik Hart, Administrator