Integrated planning and reporting

How does Council plan and report?

Our shire is a very complicated place. We have a hugely diverse population with a massive area of land and a wealth of infrastructure spread across it.

This means that Council operates in a complex environment, interacting with more than 50 pieces of State and Federal legislation, and more than 20 government agencies.

The Integrated Planning and Reporting framework recognises that Council plans, policies and actions should not exist in isolation.

It provides an integrated process for Council to bring all the plans together, to understand how they interact and work together, as well as to plan and budget holistically to get the most efficient and effective outcomes.

Integrated Planning and Reporting (IP&R) is an umbrella term for a family of documents which together provide a structured, consistent approach to community planning. These include:

  • Community Strategic Plan
  • Community Engagement Strategy
  • Long Term Financial Plan
  • Delivery Program
  • Operational Plan
  • Annual Report
  • State of the Shire

IP&R graphic

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 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 to achieve the most community benefit.

The NSW government introduced this reporting structure to inject a clear community vision into the strategies and plans for our shire, whether they come from Council or other agencies.

Instead of a new plan for each activity, this process gives us one process to plan and deliver the community's vision and priorities while maintaining affordability, accountability, and transparency.

Now more than ever we have to balance our limited resources of time, people, and money. We use these documents to decide what is essential, what should be done, what would be nice to do, and what isn’t our job.

Why should I care?

You are an important part of creating the vision and goals for our local area. These plans start with our community and mean nothing without you.

We want your input into what goes into these strategies and your feedback on documents we create to communicate our visions and goals.

To begin with, this structured approach to planning is designed around one vision.:

From the mountains to the sea, our people are given the opportunities and infrastructure to build a safe, welcoming and sustainable community. Marrungbu.

When the community’s expectations and council’s priorities are aligned, it will make our shire a great place to live, and to improve it for future generations to come. 

 

Click on the tiles below to learn more about each plan and to download the most current version.

 

Integrated Planning and Reporting