South Australian Consolidated Acts South Australian Consolidated Acts (1) The Panel should,
in arriving at recommendations for the purposes of this Chapter (but taking
into account the nature of the proposal under consideration), have regard
to—
(a) the
objects of this Act; and
(b) the
roles, functions and objectives of councils under this Act; and
(c) the
following principles:
(i)
the resources available to local communities should be
used as economically as possible while recognising the desirability of
avoiding significant divisions within a community;
(ii)
proposed changes should, wherever practicable, benefit
ratepayers;
(iii)
a council should have a sufficient resource base to
fulfil its functions fairly, effectively and efficiently;
(iv)
a council should offer its community a reasonable range
of services delivered on an efficient, flexible, equitable and responsive
basis;
(v)
a council should facilitate effective planning and
development within an area, and be constituted with respect to an area that
can be promoted on a coherent basis;
(vi)
a council should be in a position to facilitate
sustainable development, the protection of the environment and the integration
of land use schemes;
(vii)
a council should reflect communities of interest of an
economic, recreational, social, regional or other kind, and be consistent with
community structures, values, expectations and aspirations;
(viii)
a council area should incorporate or promote an
accessible centre (or centres) for local administration and services;
(ix)
the importance within the scheme of local government to
ensure that local communities within large council areas can participate
effectively in decisions about local matters;
(x)
in considering boundary reform, it is advantageous (but
not essential) to amalgamate whole areas of councils (with associated boundary
changes, if necessary), and to avoid significant dislocations within the
community;
(xi)
residents should receive adequate and fair representation
within the local government system, while over-representation in comparison
with councils of a similar size and type should be avoided (at least in the
longer term);
(xii)
the importance within the scheme of local government that
a council be able to co-operate with other councils and provide an effective
form of government to the community;
(xiii)
a scheme that provides for the integration or sharing of
staff and resources between two or more councils may offer a community or
communities a viable and appropriate alternative to structural change options;
and
(d) the
extent and frequency of previous changes affecting the council or councils
under this Chapter or the repealed Act.
(2) The Panel should,
so far as is relevant, give preference to structural changes that enhance the
capacity of local government to play a significant role in the future of an
area or region from a strategic perspective.