Preparing for the new term of council

Under the Integrated Planning and Reporting guidelines, at the beginning of a new council term, council is required to review and update key documents to support the strategic direction of the new term of Council. This includes review of our current Community Strategic Plan and Community Engagement Strategy.

Overview

Integrated Planning and Reporting (IP&R) is an umbrella term for a family of documents which together provide Council with a structured, consistent approach to community planning. This framework is used by all Councils in New South Wales. At its heart it recognises that Council plans, policies and actions should not exist in isolation.

It guides all of the planning carried out by our Council. Crucially it links planning to resourcing and service delivery and then requires ongoing monitoring, evaluation and community engagement.

This integrated process draws all Council plans together, so we understand how they impact each other and get the maximum out of them. This enables Council to plan and budget with a big picture in mind, in order to achieve the most community benefit.

Simply put, Integrated Planning and Reporting asks councils, and their communities, four strategic questions:

• Where are we now?
• Where do we want to be?
• How will we get there?
• How will we know when we have arrived?

Integrated Planning and Reporting Diagram

Community Strategic Plan 2045: Your Future

The draft Community Strategic Plan 2045: Your Future aims to reflect the opinions, values, and aspirational desires of our wide and diverse community. The plan is a key element of our Integrated Planning and Reporting suite of documents that drives council’s 4-year delivery program and annual operational plans over the next term of council.

Significant community engagement was undertaken throughout 2021-22 which resulted in the current Community Strategic Plan 2042: Your Future, a 20-year plan which was adopted by council in April 2022.

Building on the extensive engagement conducted in 2021-22 and in preparation for development of the new suite of Integrated Planning and Reporting documents for the next 4-year term, council undertook a range of community engagement activities in October 2024 to check in with the community and councillors to understand if their priorities had changed.

The review highlighted that the existing adopted plan was still very relevant to our community, with current priorities focused on financial sustainability, investing in our young people, safer communities, supporting the local economy, protecting our environment, and prioritising quality engagement with the community.

These priorities have now been reflected in the updated draft Community Strategic Plan 2045: Your Future, which is on public exhibition for review.

Community Engagement & Participation Strategy

Currently council has two adopted guiding engagement documents, the Community Engagement Strategy 2022 and the Community Participation Plan 2022. As a part of the review of council’s engagement approach, the decision has been made to combine these documents into one, which has resulted in the draft Community Engagement and Participation Strategy which is being presented to council for consideration.

The decision to have the Community Engagement Strategy 2022 and Community Participation Plan 2022 combined in one document is considered best practice, which is to avoid duplication, provide one central location for council and the community to outline our approach on how and when we will undertake community participation when exercising relevant planning functions, as well as our approach and key principles on engaging the community to gather views and feedback.

This new combined strategy sets out council’s key principles and our commitment to community engagement using the International Association for Public Participation* IAP2 Spectrum of public participation. It also steps out opportunities where the community can participate in decision making.

Community Feedback

Significant community engagement was undertaken to prepare and update the 20-year Community Strategic Plan 2042: Your Future which was adopted by council in 2022.

To build on this extensive engagement and in preparation for development of the new suite of Integrated Planning and Reporting documents for the next 4-year term, including the Community Strategic Plan and Community Engagement Strategy, council undertook a range of community engagement activities in October 2024 to check in with the community to understand if their priorities had changed. These activities included: 

• Face-to-face sessions in the community including visits to Willawarrin, Kempsey CBD, Crescent Head, South West Rocks and Stuarts Point 
• Shaping our Future and Council Priorities online survey (council’s online survey) 
• Micromex Community Satisfaction Research Survey (Micromex telephone survey) 
• Workshops with the senior leadership team and councillors 

516 community members provided feedback through the face-to-face sessions, online survey and telephone survey. A copy of the Micromex Survey and council’s survey reports are attached to this report.

Closing

Both the Community Strategic Plan 2045: Your Future and the Community Engagement and Participation Strategy are required by legislation and critical in providing strategic direction and outlining how we engage with our community to support the development and implementation of council’s new suite of Integrated Planning and Reporting documents for the new term of council.

Make a submission

Council has placed the draft documents on public exhibition for 28 days. The community is encouraged to provide feedback.

You can view them through the links on the right, with physical copies available in our libraries and customer service counter.

Submissions can be made on either of the draft documents, completing the online survey (below) including uploading any attachments; by email to ksc@kempsey.nsw.gov.au, handed into our customer service counter or mailed to:

The General Manager

Kempsey Shire Council

PO Box 3078

West Kempsey NSW 2440

Important Note: Submissions may be made publicly available. If no valid contact details are provided, then the submission is treated as anonymous, and no further acknowledgement or project update/s can be provided to the person making the submission.

For more information click here: Integrated planning and reporting - Kempsey Shire Council working with the Macleay Valley community

The exhibition period for these documents closes, close of business, Tuesday 15 April 2025.