Parking parking parking... It's always an issue in Newcastle

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Whether it's dropping the time limit, increasing the fees or just taking them away, car parking is always a hot topic in Newcastle.

A promise from Independent Lord Mayoral Candidate Kath Elliot to fix Newcastle's parking situation could be what puts her over the line on September 9.

She's blaming the state government for removing parking and allowing the construction of new buildings with absolutely no parking at all.

"It's all very well for you to be revitalising the city but if people can't access the city then it's a bit pointless so we need them to come to the table with us if we're elected and work together to find an integrated parking strategy to make it a bit easier for people to access the city."

Only a month ago Newcastle's East End had parking slashed - 90 car spaces went from being 12-hour zone to just two and four-hour zones and eight-hour sections on Moroney Avenue and Scott Street were halved to four hours.

Kath Elliott says she wants to see parking improved for residents around Wickham as the interchange continues to take shape, and take away parks.

"So we're looking at some options in Newcastle West but at this stage, it's a very difficult problem because taking parking away is a very quick thing to do but it takes a long time to put it back."

Image newcastle.nsw.gov.au

Leading Team for Newcastle Greens

BY SARAH BARONOWSKI

The Newcastle Greens are announcing their leading team for the 2017 September local elections, putting forward Therese Doyle as their Lord Mayoral candidate.

Ms. Doyle will also re-contest her position as councillor of Ward 2, with Dr. John Mackenzie standing as councillor of Ward 1.

If elected, the Lord Mayoral candidate plans to tackle the issues of poor planning and state interference which led to the loss of the city’s rail-line and the hosting of the V8 Supercars race in a residential area.

Therese Doyle says there’s much to be done in Newcastle and some of the issues can only be addressed by the Greens.

Newcastle Greens Lord Mayoral candidate
Therese Doyle [Image: Newcastle Herald]

“I would use the influence of the Lord Mayoral’s position to ensure that the Newcastle community, [and] its elected council is properly consulted before decisions are made by the state government such as the removal of our railway service long before they happen.”

She says the ‘lack of planning’ around these issues is something she’d like to address as Lord Mayor.

“The lack of planning about what’s going [on], how we’re going to protect the health and amenity of people who live in that area - that’s where we need much improved consultation [and] communication between council and the people of Newcastle.”

The remainder of the Greens leading team including candidates for Wards 3 and 4 will soon be announced.

Expenses Scandal a 'non-issue': Lord Mayor

BY GARY-JON LYSAGHT

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes has responded to a story in Thursday's Daily Telegraph, saying revelations she spent $270 of ratepayers' money on childcare for her daughter is a "non-issue".

The Daily Telegraph story - which did not contact Ms Nelmes for comment - said the Lord Mayor took her young daughter with her on a council trip to Singapore last year.

While in the South-East Asian country, MS Nelmes paid $270 for a single day's childcare and used public funds to pay for it, which is within the $6000 annual limit Newcastle Council staff have for career expenses.

"I'm not unique as a working mother in a leadership role and this often blends carers responsibilities with work.  At no time did I ever seek reimbursement for my daughter's travel, I paid for it all myself," Ms Nelmes said.

"The only expense I claimed was related to her childcare expenses for one day."

She said she was forced to take her daughter on the trip since Council gave her little notice of the trip.

"It was in the school holidays and the only way I could go for those three nights was to take my daughter and I paid for her and I claimed one day of childcare expenses," she said.

"In my mind, I thought that was reasonable to make sure I exercised my duty."

Ms Nelmes called the article in The Daily Telegraph a "beat-up" and said it was detracting from the exciting changes Newcastle is experiencing.

She said the story was a "relative non-issue considering all of the great things that are happening in the city and all of the important issues happening around the world".

A Newcastle Council spokesman said council introduced an expenses policy more than a decade ago, which was aimed to "increase the participation by women and underrepresented groups in local government".

"Pursuant to clause 17 of the expenses policy, the Lord Mayor was entitled to and did claim for one day of approved childcare in Singapore," the spokesman said.

The Daily Telegraph spoke with a number of Newcastle councillors - excluding the Lord Mayor herself - including Liberal councillor Brad Luke, who said he probably wouldn't pass the pub test.

"I don't think the average person ... is going to be happy that while on an overseas trip on council expenses she not only took her daughter, but claimed childcare," he told The Daily Telegraph.