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finally ... Independent Review of Flawed Process

7/7/2016

43 Comments

 
The Office of Local Government has now confirmed that the former Manly Council meeting on April12, at which the public were locked out and tenders were awarded for the construction of a car park under Manly Oval and the 99 year lease of the Whistler Street Car Park and Library sites - was illegal.
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 Further, Dick Perssons, the Administrator of the new Northern Beaches Council, has commissioned Ernst & Young and Value Network to facilitate an independent review of the projects, following continued concerns raised by Good for Manly, the Save Manly Oval Alliance and hundreds of concerned citizens.

This independent review was announced just days after submissions closed for the Development Application of the Oval Car Park, which in turn was lodged just two days before Manly Council was officially amalgamated.

Concerns Over Lack of Process
Over the past four years Good For Manly has raised serious concerns about the way in which Manly Council undertook the process of developing the Manly2015 Masterplan which originally proposed a 760 space car park under Manly Oval and the 99 year lease to a developer of the Whistler Street car park site.

On the 12 April, behind closed doors and with no pubic notification, the Liberal majority on the council voted for a 500 space car park  (not 760) and the 99 year lease of both the Whistler Street car park AND library sites.  The redevelopment proposal was new to the Councillors and was nothing like the submissions made during the Expressions of Interest process, in fact some would argue it was a 'non-confirming tender'. It had had no public exhibition for feedback,  was quite different from anything previously exhibited and the proposed development exceeds the current height limit for the site.

Non Compliant Running of Meetings
Add to this two years of complaints to the Office of Local Government (OLG) by Clr Candy Bingham that the General Manager, Henry Wong, was  systematically refusing to put legitimate motions on the business paper - and you get an idea of just how dodgy the process has been.

In the business paper for the Northern Beaches Council meeting on 7th July, (see copy below) a number of letters from the OLG addressed to Mr Wong, dating back to June & July 2014 , are attached. These clearly state that the Council's Code of Meeting Practice was not compliant with statutory requirements and needed to be updated.  It never was, and the GM continued his practice of rejecting legitimate motions.  

In addition the OLG's letter dated 10/6/16 addressed to the interim General Manager of the  Northern Beaches Council raises serious issues in relation to the meeting of 12 April which was held in the absence of the public to consider tenders concerning Manly2015 Masterplan.

​It is pleasing  that the new Administration is taking the matter seriously by commissioning an independent assessment.   The final report is expected early August.  

In the meantime  the DA process for the Oval Car Park will  continue with independent consultants Fox Partners assessing the submissions on behalf of Council. Their report will be peer reviewed. 

The high level of open and transparent government now operating under the new Council is a joy!
independent_review_manly2015.pdf
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43 Comments
Peter Monckton
8/7/2016 07:42:00 am

Fingers crossed for some democratic and open process to follow. It's been a tragic situation for years at Manly Council under the previous leadership.

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David Hulme
8/7/2016 09:14:07 am

Even though we have an administrator ironically it feels like we now have a far more open process of local government in place which must be a relief for most Manly residents. It is reassuring to see due process is now being observed and thank you Candy Bingham for your tireless efforts to try to get our elected representatives to do the right thing.

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Gay O'Connor
8/7/2016 11:29:03 am

Under the new administration I thought we would get less say. Seems I'm wrong. Thanks to Candy and all your crew for putting a huge amount of work into this. Pity our own Council didn't/wouldn't listen!

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Gail Leith
8/7/2016 09:39:19 am

Yay!!!! At last. Some common sense around this ridiculous proposal. About bloody time!! Thanks for your persistence Candy. The old saying rings true....persistence pays off! Well done. Cheers Gail Leith - North Steyne - Manly

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James & Amanda Bradney link
8/7/2016 10:48:24 am

What a fantastic result, well done Candy et al.
Lets leave the oval alone
Tart up Whistler st
Seriously investigate using under Keirle park to build a carpark with the following benefits......
1. Provide parking for swim centre
2. Provide parking for Northern beaches visitors to Manly
3. Provide commuter parking with shuttle buses to Manly Wharf ( or brisk walk)
4. Provide parking for surf carnivals, Surfing open, Summer overflow
Plus lots of room for future underground expansion, negligible traffic issues, pls dozens of other LONG TERM benefits.

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Don Walker
24/8/2016 07:37:25 am

A great idea but I understand that Keirle Park would have even more flood problems then Manly Oval. There is a vacant site right in the middle of Manly where the o;d Civic Club was located where a new car park could be created but even better would be to restore the satolen street car spaces and heighten and renovate the existing car park station right in the middle of Manly and update the surrounding lane ways.

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Mick Bluett
8/7/2016 01:08:02 pm

It seems as if Mr. Wong is the focus in a lot of Council drama's.
Is it time to reconsider his position ?

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Lisle
24/8/2016 07:46:12 am

"Former general manager resigns from council role" told the story
yesterday's Manly Daily.
He left last Friday.
No doubt there will be more reported over coming days.

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John McGrory
8/7/2016 06:11:02 pm

Congratulations Candy, it was a lot of hard work but great to see that someone is finally listening. I hope you're going to run for Mayor of the Northern Beaches Council.

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Ruth Crause link
9/7/2016 10:52:28 am

Well Done to Candy and her crew for all their hard work !

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Mark Kingaby
10/7/2016 06:00:42 pm

Fantastic. Well done Candy, her team and let's not forget the other non liberal councillors that held true to their voting beliefs.
Unfortunately a quick look at the Oval shows what a terrible state it is in today. The contractor that looked after it was sacked by the Council and a new grass cutting company was installed and no ground maintenance has been undertaken. The so called drainage system is a joke, we now have a swamp forming where the "drainage work" was completed. I guess Council thought there would be a big hole where the oval used to be by now so decided to let the playing surface go to h--ll. The new company do not even own a roller so there is little likelihood of any cricket this summer. Shame on Major Hay and her liberal cronies and the very dodgy looking GM if the facts re council behaviour turn out to be true. Looks like there might be an immediate salary saving soon that can be added to the 'savings' fund!

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Peter
21/7/2016 03:22:49 pm

Henry Wong - In 2015 his Salary was $323,431+ Benefits.....

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/news/warringah-shire-council-boss-rakes-in-more-than-380k-as-pay-packets-revealed/news-story/e030bbf1ea35bf9a6fc18cdbca140b56

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Don Walker
24/8/2016 07:45:20 am

Very well said. Thankfully Wong has resigned, hopefully without his golden hand shake which he had negotiated just prior to amalgamation. We can only hope that the remaining ex councillors Hay and her Liberal supporting lackeys have some honour left and also pack their bags and get out of public life. Candy and Jeremy Bingham and their crew deserve every congratulation for their persistent determination in holding the old council to task plus a great big thank you to Dick Pearson and his administration for their work in stopping this traversty of justice. Problem is that the rate payers have had to fork out a small fortune in bringing democracy back to local government.

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Gay O'Connor
24/8/2016 06:44:28 pm

Well said Don. I wonder just who Henry Wong "negotiated" with? Just which councillors gave him the green light? Well, it didn't have to come out of their pockets, did it?)

Mary Winterton link
11/7/2016 06:06:27 pm

Well done Candy and all the councillors not part of the Hay/Wong and cronies group.
A very big thank you for your tireless efforts to do what is good for Manly.

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Jenny Forster
24/8/2016 07:08:39 am

Congratulations to Candy, Jeremy and the rest of the team for persisting with this.

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Maralyn Nash
24/8/2016 07:18:27 am

Candy you are amazing. You never gave up. You worked so tirelessly when at times the cause must have seemed lost and as if those vain and self seeking pushers of the flawed car park were going to get their way - even though anyone with a brain cell could see it was madness. Truly you deserve recognition at a high level but you'll probably just have to do with the heartfelt thanks of the people.

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David Hulme
24/8/2016 07:42:13 am

Instead of being forever in debt we are forever in debt to you Candy Bingham. Your tenacity is an inspiration.

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Susan Fortescue
24/8/2016 08:18:24 am

This is all good for Manly. Thanks for all of your dedication to Manly and its residents, Candy.
Sue

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Lisle
24/8/2016 08:19:29 am

After sixteen years of trying to define and explain decisions made by Manly Council, including an Ombudsman's Report in 2010, which is still relevant today, because it sets out the failings of the General Manager in some detail, I don't know how I should feel today with this decision by the Northern Beaches Council last night. It is not a matter for rejoicing, but rather sadness that it should ever have occurred in the first place.
To many residents in the Manly Local Government area. they would have little knowledge of the swimming pool fiasco and the Manly Oval car park/Whistler Street development. and will wake up today to the fact that five Liberal Councillors in the former council did not believe in transparency and just did as they were told.
Above all, it has been Candy Bingham who has been able to assemble the experts to unravel the various threads of plans which were simply not viable, and a burden on ratepayers of this glorious place called Manly.

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Gail Leith
24/8/2016 08:31:02 am

Well done Candy. This is the best news! Without your dedication and determination this could not have happened. A great result all round. Cheers. Gail

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Bruce Webb
24/8/2016 09:05:23 am

Firstly, congratulations to all involved in getting this white elephant put down, this includes Stop the Manly Oval Carpark group, Good for Manly, and all those in the precincts that kept the fight going.

What I saw of this whole idiocy was that Jean Hay saw this as a fitting project to hang her hat on and use to glorify her retirement, which I might add should have been years ago.

Well now she can leave quietly with the knowledge that all her amateurish political manoeuvering failed and she has a massive amount of egg on her face. Those councillors who supported her should also hang their heads in shame for not following how they were supposed to act as detailed in the Local Government Act.

Hopefully non of these idiots will even try for re-election in the next council elections, they will of course, as they are living on another planet. If they do the locals need to be reminded that they thumbed their noses at the ratepayers and residents wishes and treated us like idiots. Well the boot is now firmly on the other foot.

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Lisle
24/8/2016 09:32:01 am

The question has to be asked as to whether Jean Hay led the Liberal faction of the former Manly Council, or was she using the Liberal Party as a cover for the Jean Hay faction, which had nothing to do whatsoever with Liberal Party ideals.
What fills me with sadness is that it would have taken only two of the Liberal councilors to cross the floor and vote against some of these plans to save us all from embarrassment. That they did not illustrates the power which the former Mayor and former General Manager held over the elected councilors.
Object and you were subject to abuse even a poor old woman like me, and in writing too, from both the former Mayor and former General Manager..

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Steve Pomeroy
24/8/2016 09:08:30 am

Congratulations to all involved in the objection/review process. A victory for common sense ,democratic rights and persistence in the face of intransigence all the way.

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Colin Black
24/8/2016 09:50:35 am

Fantastic news, thank you Candy and your team at Good for Manly for your commitment and resilience to fight the good fight. It is a real step forward for the Manly Community. Please celebrate this win. I look forward to seeing a new vision stepping out of the shadow of the Cr Hay/GM Wong driven agenda.

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Ken Richardson
24/8/2016 10:23:30 am

Well Done Candy and the Good For Manly team! Persistence has paid off - Manly residents and now all Northern Beaches residents will benefit for years.

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David Jones
24/8/2016 10:25:34 am

Now we finally all know "What Went Wong"

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Gay O'Connor
24/8/2016 10:40:35 am

Earlier I was concerned that the Manly Council decision about the car park would remain even after the amalgamation of councils - or be placed in the too hard basket - because of the fact that contracts had been entered into. Great news - I was wrong.

Then last week I thought it a bit odd that Henry Wong resigned so suddenly, and I was concerned about the fact that "we" (by which I mean the then Manly Council on behalf of all Manly ratepayers) had entered into a contract with him to renew his tenure for some years - forget how long. Well, I guess he saw the writing on the wall. And now the whole debacle has come to an end and the idiotic idea of the car park which, given a lot of rain, would probably be under water a lot of the time, has come to an end.

And remember, Candy, when you were saying the meetings in secret were illegal, and you were pilloried by the then Mayor. Well, you have been vindicated. Well done, and thank you on behalf of many Manly residents for you persistent hard work.

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Andrew Hill
24/8/2016 10:58:09 am

Does anyone have a final figure of how much this entire process has actually cost Manly Council (residents). Just think what could have been done with that money.

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Oliver
24/8/2016 12:31:27 pm

If this process was illigal the former major and consultant should be held accountable and maybe sued for all occurred associated cost spent!

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Gay O'Connor
24/8/2016 06:47:04 pm

Yes, yes, yes . . . wouldn't it be loverly!

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john greentree
24/8/2016 01:49:26 pm

Well done Candy. Administrators seem to work.
Maybe now ,the vertical garden on Whistler St car park could be implemented ??

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Diana Jones
24/8/2016 01:49:51 pm

The Manly community is forever in your debt Candy. Thank you and your team - you have been the spokesperson for so many of us who felt ignored and your hard work is appreciated. It is a champagne day.

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barbara bevan
24/8/2016 03:51:47 pm

Well done Candy, Lets give Whistler St a facelift and keep our lovely library and save some money

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Claire
24/8/2016 05:35:29 pm

Well done Candy and your team! Your tenacity and hard work has paid off to finally get the best result for the Manly environment and locals.

Henry Wong, Jean Hay and their merry band of arrogant sheep should hang their heads in shame. The state of the waterlogged oval in the rain today shows what damage they've already done - hopefully this can be reversed.

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Gay O'Connor
24/8/2016 06:48:58 pm

"Merry band of arrogant sheep"? "Goats" fits better.

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Rosemarie Nugent link
24/8/2016 07:54:48 pm

Thank you for all your determination and perseverance Candy. The hard work has paid off.

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Lisle
24/8/2016 08:06:43 pm

Tomorrow's Manly Daily already online:
"Manly Oval carpark plans scrapped due to 'significant contract and financial risks'
This article provides time frame of events which many of you will remember:
May 2009: Plans were hatched to activate Manly's laneways into Melbourne-style cosmopolitan hubs.
I remember this well as it relates to Market Lane.
November 2010: Council gives its first indication of plans, calling it Manly 2015. It includes a carpark under Manly Oval funded by Whistler St redevelopments.
I have always maintained that Manly2015 was a diversion created by the former General Manager to the NSW Ombudsman's Report 2010 tabled by former Mayor Jean Hay on October 10,2010. Many aspects of this plan were subsequently deleted such as making South Steyne and Wentworth St pedestrian friendly. The Manly Oval car park was immediately challenged in a manner suggesting that it had been taken out of the rejection drawer at Council. I presumed it too would be dropped, but no, suddenly it took on a life of its own.
September 2012: Council holds elections. Rumblings on Manly2015 begin soon after.
Everyone is reminded that nowhere in the Liberal Party election brochures was Manly2015 mentioned, as though it had disappeared off the radar. The swimming pool was there, but no Manly2015 and Manly Oval.
Former Mayor Jean Hay has never explained her advertising election material and how together with her Liberal faction she would work with the former General Manager to pursue her Manly Oval ambitions
Fortunately for Manly ratepayers, Candy Bingham was elected to Manly Council in 2012.

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Jill Healy-Quintard link
24/8/2016 08:51:53 pm

Hello Candy, Congratulations on your continued and unchanged belief that this should not eventuate. I am sitting in a Camping Ground in Pula, Croatia reading this today and know many, many people back there in Manly and surrounds will be thrilled and celebrating this win. Thank goodness for the new Northern Beaches Council. Just in time!
Warm Regards :)

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Wendy Bloomfield
25/8/2016 03:02:36 pm

Hi Candy & the team.Many, many thanks for your untiring work to stop the ridiculous Oval Car park proposal.

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Julie Bakalor
25/8/2016 11:50:14 pm

Terrific Candy. We are all so lucky to have you - I know how hard you have worked.

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Marie Reeson
30/8/2016 04:57:17 pm

I am so proud of your team that was able to bring about this sensational result .The dedication and hard work has paid off big time.
You will be remembered by all the people of Manly that love their oval.Not only the oval but you saved Sydney Road from major destruction which would have proved impossible to negoitate in and out of Manly.

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David link
22/12/2020 07:03:28 pm

Interesting

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    Candy Bingham, Manly Ward Councillor on Northern Beaches Council posts what's making news and issues relevant to Manly on this blog. 

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