AGY-3175 | Sydney City Council

Full description

This documentation describes the organisation Sydney City Council as an entire corporate body, components (agencies) of which include CA 100, Sydney City Council 1842+ (the elected Aldermen or appointed Commissioners as a legislative and executive body) and its Committees, and the administrative bodies (departments etc) into which the bureaucracy of the Council has been arranged over time.

The formal title of the organisation is: Municipal Council of Sydney (1842-1948); Council of the City of Sydney (1949+). Since 1993 the preferred style has been City of Sydney.

The chief elected officer is styled the Mayor (1842-1902) or Lord Mayor (1902+). The chief executive officer is the Town Clerk (1842-1993) or General Manager (1993+).

The original boundaries of the City were drawn to reflect the earlier Sydney Police District. They extended from Sydney harbour (Port Jackson (N) to Cleveland St (S) and from Boundary Rd (E) to City Road (W).

The boundaries of the City of Sydney have changed frequently, beginning in 1870 when Moore Park was brought within the Council's administration. The largest expansion was in 1949 when the City absorbed surrounding suburban municipalities. Most of these areas were lost in 1968, and briefly restored in 1981. In 1989 the City was reduced in area to the Central Business District of Sydney, plus Pyrmont and part of Ultimo, and minor surrounding areas such as a fragment of Surry Hills.

For detailed treatment of boundary changes, and electoral arrangements including Wards, see Hilary Golder: Sydney's Elections, a short electoral history of Sydney City Council 1842-1992 (Sydney, the Council, 1995).

Until 1949 the City of Sydney functioned under special legislation, separately from municipal legislation applying to all other local governments in New South Wales. From 1949 the City was brought under the Local Government Act 1919 and the City of Sydney Acts were repealed. However new City of Sydney Acts (1988 and amendments were subsequently passed to redraw the city boundaries and change the electoral system.

On 11 October, 2000 the Minister for Local Government announced a major review into the structure of the local Government areas in the inner City and eastern suburbs under the chairmanship of Professor Kevin Sproats. The boundaries of eight Councils were considered. It was recommended that the Councils be reduced to four (I) an enhanced City of Sydney (ii) a mixed residential- industrial city (iii) a beachside/harbourside residential city and (iv) an inner west residential gateway. The alternative recommendation was to create an enlarged Sydney CBD Council to include expansion into the inner eastern suburbs of Darlinghurst, Kings Cross, Woolloomooloo, Potts Point, Rushcutters Bay and Elizabeth Bay and the inner western suburbs of Glebe and Forest Lodge. (1) In its document "Examination of the proposed boundary alteration to the City of Sydney, Leichhardt and South Sydney Local Government Areas", in March 2002 the Boundaries Commission recommended the latter proposal. This decision was the subject of a successful appeal to the Land and Environment Court. Eventually on 14 February the High Court of Australia ruled in favour of the Boundaries Commission. The boundary changes were proclaimed to commence on Thursday 8 May 2003. (2)

The removal of a substantial part of the population, area and assets from South Sydney Council affected the potential for financial viability of that Council, and the Mayor was prepared to consent to a merger of the remainder of South Sydney Council with the Sydney City Council. A merger was, however opposed by the Lord Mayor of Sydney. (3)

On 6 February 2004 the City of Sydney and the City of South Sydney were combined by proclamation with the first election of Councillors to take place on 27 March 2004. The merger took effect immediately on proclamation. (4) Three administrators (or Commissioners) were responsible for the Council during the interim. These were the former Lord Mayor of Sydney, the former Mayor of South Sydney and the Director-General of the Department of Local Government. Provision was made for alternative Commissioners if either of the former Mayors declined to serve. (5) A quorum of this Interim Council was two members of whom one was the Director General of the Department of Local Government. (6) The Interim Council could determine development application but not 'major development' as defined by the City of Sydney Act, 1988. (7) The former General Manager of the City of Sydney was appointed Acting General Manager of the Interim Council for a period of six months form 6 February 2004 and the former General Manager of the City of South Sydney was Acting Deputy Manager for the duration of the interim Council. (8)

The electors of both former Councils were eligible to vote for a total of ten Councillors that included the Lord Mayor who was elected directly by the electors in accordance with the City of Sydney Act, 1988. (9) The new Council was to continue the business of its predecessors, any delegations, and as far as practicable to retain codes, policies and plans of the two former councils. Thr organisational structure of the new Council was to be a composite of the structures of the two preceding councils (10) and the assets, rights and liabilities of the former Councils were transferred to the Sydney City Council. (11)


From City of Sydney Archives - Organisation No. 1. Used with permission.

Endnotes
1. Inquiry into the structure of eight Council areas in the inner city and eastern suburbs of Sydney (Sproats inquiry) Final report pp.8-9.
2. NSW Government Gazette, 19 February 2003, p.2173, Schedule E, pp.2178-9.
3. Sydney Morning Herald, 21 November 2003, p.1.
4. NSW Government Gazette, 6 February 2004, Special Supplement, p.481.
5. Ibid. 3. p. 483.
6. Ibid. 4. p. 483.
7. Ibid. 3 (4) p.483.
8. Ibid 8-9 p.485.
9. Ibid. 5, p.484.
10. Ibid. 11-15, pp.485-486.
11. Ibid. 18, pp.487-488.