New Local Law with a local voice

Balancing personal freedom and community responsibility is the challenge of Council’s Community Local Law which is currently being reviewed.

The law is being reviewed to ensure it reflects community needs on topics including the use of e-cigarettes and vapes, firepits, nature strips, long-term parking on Council land, dumped rubbish, derelict buildings and responsible pet ownership.

City of Whittlesea CEO Craig Lloyd said the new local law is designed to complement State and Federal laws and aims to strike the right balance to help people live harmoniously in their local community.

“All Councils have a Local Law that helps to keep our community safe, protect our natural environment, improve access and enjoyment of public places and respond to poor behaviour,” he said.

“We are required to review our local law every ten years to make sure it continues to meet the changing needs of our community.”  

“Community issues - from unsightly land to shopping trolleys and animals all have the potential to significantly impact our community’s daily lives so the updated new Community Local Law will help Council to resolve issues as they arise and give our community confidence these issues can be dealt with appropriately.”

Community consultation on the new law is underway with a program of pop-up events scheduled for February and March.

Residents can also fill out a survey on engage.whittlesea.vic.gov.au/LocalLawReview

Following initial consultation last year, the City of Whittlesea has identified nine focus areas it is seeking feedback on:

1. Broadening the definition of ‘smoking’ to include vapes and e-cigarettes
2. Recreational use of firepits
3. Naturestrip maintenance requirements
4. Managing long-term parking of trailers, caravans and boats on Council land
5. Dumping of rubbish
6. Managing derelict and dilapidated buildings
7. Enforcing collection of dumped or abandoned shopping trolleys
8. Strengthening dog attack laws
9. Managing dogs on sporting grounds.

“I’d encourage everyone to share their views online or in person so we can ensure the new law is representative of our community,” Mr Lloyd said.

Our new Community Local Law will be written in plain English and designed to be simple and easy to navigate and understand.

A draft of the proposed law will be released later this year for further consultation before it comes into effect from 1 July 2024.

Visit www.engage.whittlesea.vic.gov.au/LocalLawReview to have your say.