Inner West Council
New South Wales
Location in Metropolitan Sydney
Population
 • Density5,200/km2 (13,470/sq mi)
Established12 May 2016 (2016-05-12)
Area35 km2 (13.5 sq mi)[3]
MayorDarcy Byrne
Council seatAshfield, Leichhardt & Petersham
RegionInner West
State electorate(s)
Federal division(s)
WebsiteInner West Council
LGAs around Inner West Council:
Canada Bay Parramatta River Parramatta River
Burwood Inner West Council City of Sydney
Canterbury-Bankstown Bayside Bayside

Inner West Council is a local government area located in the inner western region of Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The council makes up the eastern part of this wider region, and was formed on 12 May 2016 from the merger of the former Ashfield, Leichhardt and Marrickville councils.[3][4]

The Council comprises an area of 35 square kilometres (14 sq mi) and as at the 2016 census had an estimated population of 182,043.[1]

The mayor of Inner West Council is Darcy Byrne, elected by the councillors on 29 December 2021. The most recent NSW local government election, on 4 December 2021, resulted in a Labor majority of 8 Councillors.[5][6]

History

In the early 2010s, the New South Wales Government explored merging various local government areas to create larger councils within Sydney. In 2013, the Independent Local Government Review Panel (ILGRP) initially proposed a merger of the six inner west councils - Burwood, Strathfield, Canada Bay, Ashfield, Leichhardt and Marrickville, into a single council that would govern almost all of the inner west region.[7] Alternative mergers were also proposed, such as one between Auburn, Burwood and Canada Bay,[7] or between Burwood, Canada Bay, Strathfield and Ashfield.[8] The final proposal in the 2015 review of local government boundaries recommended that the Municipality of Ashfield, the Municipality of Leichhardt and the Marrickville Council merge to form a new council with an area of 35 square kilometres (14 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 186,000.[9] On 12 May 2016, Ashfield Council, Marrickville Council and the Municipality of Leichhardt merged to form the Inner West Council.[3]

Proposed de-amalgamation

In December 2021, a majority of voters in Inner West Council voted in favour of reversing the 2016 merger and separating the three pre-existing councils of Ashfield, Leichhardt and Marrickville.[10] The final declared results were: 62.49% YES and 37.51% NO.[10]

In 2022, the council began preparing a business case for de-amalgamation.[10]

Suburbs and localities in the local government area

Suburbs in the Inner West Council area are:[11]

Demographics

At the 2016 census, there were 182,043 people in the Inner West local government area; of these 48.7 per cent were male and 51.3 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 1.1 per cent of the population; significantly below the NSW and Australian averages of 2.9 and 2.8 per cent respectively. The median age of people in Inner West Council was 36 years; slightly lower than the national median of 38 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 15.3 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 12.25 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 38.7 per cent were married and 10.8 per cent were either divorced or separated.[1]

At the 2016 census, the proportion of residents in the Inner West local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or from Britain and Ireland exceeded 54 per cent of all residents. In excess of 51 per cent of all residents in Inner West Council nominated a no religious affiliation at the 2016 census, which was in excess of the national average of 40 per cent. Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in the Inner West local government area had a higher than average proportion (31.4 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 22.2 per cent); and a lower proportion (64.4 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 72.7 per cent).[1]

Selected historical census data for Inner West Council local government area
Census year 2016[1] 2011[12] 2006[12] 2001[12]
Population Estimated residents on census night 182,043 169,799 160,276 159,974
LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales 14th
% of New South Wales population 2.43%
% of Australian population 0.78%
Estimated ATSI population on census night 2,034
% of ATSI population to residents 1.1%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry,
top responses		 English 21.0%
Australian 16.7%
Irish 9.8%
Scottish 6.5%
Chinese 5.9%
Language,
top responses
(other than English)		 Mandarin 3.6%
Greek 2.9%
Italian 2.8%
Vietnamese 2.0%
Cantonese 1.9%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation,
top responses		 No religion, so described 40.4%
Catholic 22.4%
Not stated 10.7%
Anglican 7.1%
Eastern Orthodox 4.2%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income Median weekly personal income A$957
% of Australian median income 144.6%
Family income Median weekly family income A$2,498
% of Australian median income 144.1%
Household income Median weekly household income A$2,048
% of Australian median income 142.4%

Council

The Inner West Council comprises fifteen Councillors elected proportionally, with three Councillors elected in five wards. On 9 September 2017, the current council was elected for a fixed three-year term of office (which was extended for twelve months in 2020 and to December 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic);[13][3][11] The mayor is appointed biennially and deputy mayor annually by the councillors at the first meeting of the council.

Officeholders

Mayor Term Notes
Richard Pearson (Administrator) 12 May 2016 – 21 September 2017 [4]
Darcy Byrne (ALP) 21 September 2017 – 7 September 2021 [14][15] Mayor of Leichhardt 2012–2014, 2015–2016.
Rochelle Porteous (GRN) 7 September 2021 – 29 December 2021 [16][17][18] Mayor of Leichhardt 2011–2012, 2014–2015.
Darcy Byrne (ALP) 29 December 2021 – present [19][20]
Deputy Mayor Term Notes
Julie Passas (Lib) 21 September 2017 – 11 September 2018 [14] Ashfield East Ward Councillor 2012–2016.
Victor Macri (Ind) 11 September 2018 – 10 September 2019 [21] Mayor of Marrickville 2012–2013.
Vittoria Raciti (Lib) 10 September 2019 – 22 September 2020 [22] Ashfield North East Ward Councillor 2012–2016.
Victor Macri (Ind) 22 September 2020 – 7 September 2021 [23] Marrickville Ward Councillor 2017–2021.
Pauline Lockie (Ind) 7 September 2021 – 29 December 2021 [16]
Jessica D'Arienzo (ALP) 29 December 2021 – 13 September 2022 [19]
Philippa Scott (ALP) 13 September 2022 – 19 September 2023 [24]
Chloe Smith (ALP) 19 September 2023 – present [20]
General Manager/CEO[25] Term Notes
Vanessa Chan 12 May 2016 – 1 September 2016 General Manager of Ashfield Council 2010–2016[4][26]
Rik Hart 9 September 2016 – 20 February 2019 General Manager of Warringah Council 2007–2016[27]
Michael Deegan 20 February 2019 – 19 October 2020 [28][29]
Elizabeth Richardson (acting) 19 October 2020 – 30 October 2020 [30]
Brian Barrett (acting) 30 October 2020 – 9 April 2021 General Manager of Marrickville Council 2013–2016[31][32]
Elizabeth Richardson (acting) 9 April 2021 – 3 May 2021 [33]
Peter Gainsford 3 May 2021 – present General Manager of the City of Canada Bay 2018–2021[34]

Current composition

The most recent election was held on 4 December 2021, and the makeup of the council by order of election, is as follows:[35]

Party Councillors
  Australian Labor Party 8
  Greens NSW 5
  Independents 2
Total 15
Ward Councillor Party Notes
Ashfield – Djarrawunang (Magpie) Ward[36][37][38]   Dylan Griffiths Greens
  Mark Drury Labor Elected 2017; Ashfield South Ward Councillor 2006–2016.
  Jessica D'Arienzo Labor Deputy Mayor 2021–2022.[19]
Balmain – Baludarri (Leather Jacket) Ward[39][37][38]   Kobi Shetty Greens
  Darcy Byrne Labor Elected 2017; Mayor 2017–2021, 2021–present;[14][15][19]
  John Stamolis Independent Elected 2017; Leichhardt Balmain Ward Councillor 2014–2016.
Leichhardt – Gulgadya (Grass Tree) Ward[40][37][38]   Marghanita Da Cruz Greens Elected 2017
  Philippa Scott Labor Deputy Mayor 2022–2023.[24]
  Tim Stephens Labor
Marrickville – Midjuburi (Lillypilly) Ward[41][37][38]   Mat Howard Labor
  Justine Langford Greens
  Zoi Tsardoulias Labor
Stanmore – Damun (Port Jackson Fig) Ward[42][37][38]   Liz Atkins Greens
  Chloe Smith Labor Deputy Mayor 2023–present.[20]
  Pauline Lockie Independent Elected 2017; Deputy Mayor 2021.[16]

2021 election results

The Liberal Party did not endorse any candidates, including its two councillors elected in 2017.[43]

2021 New South Wales local elections: Inner West[43][44][45]
Party Votes % Swing Seats Change
  Labor 40,113 38.6 +4.7 8 Increase 3
  Greens 37,499 36.0 +7.2 5 Steady
  Independent 15,967 15.3 −2.7 2 Decrease 1
  Independent Liberal 6,738 6.5 −11.1[a] 0 Decrease 2[a]
  Community Independents 1,195 1.1 0 Steady
  Community Independent 898 0.9 0 Steady
  Animal Justice 876 0.8 +0.8 0 Steady
  Socialist Alliance 749 0.8 –0.2 0 Steady
 Formal votes 104,035 96.49
 Informal votes 3,795 3.51
 Total 107,830 100.00

Town halls

Leichhardt Town Hall, seat of the former Leichhardt council, now one of the three seats of the Inner West Council

The Inner West Council owns and maintains the three seats of the three pre-merger councils, being Ashfield Town Hall, Petersham Town Hall and Leichhardt Town Hall. Since 2021, all Council meetings have been held at the Ashfield Service Centre. [1]

In addition, the Council also owns the Marrickville, Balmain and St Peters town halls, which were the seats of municipal councils that had existed prior to their merger into the immediate predecessor councils.[46]

Culture

Inner West Library Service

Marrickville Library

The Inner West Library Service consists of a network of 8 libraries located within the Inner West Council boundaries. After the Inner West Council amalgamation, a new library management system was launched on 1 March 2019, with a soft launch in late February allowing members to borrow from all libraries in the service.[47][48][49]

The libraries of the Inner West Library Service include:[50]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b Compared with the Liberal Party result at the 2017 election.[43]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Inner West (A)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 5 July 2017. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ "3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2018-19". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020. Estimated resident population (ERP) at 30 June 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d "Inner West Council". Stronger Councils. Government of New South Wales. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  4. ^ a b c "Local Government (Council Amalgamations) Proclamation 2016 [NSW] - Schedule 9 - Provisions for Inner West Council" (PDF). Parliament of New South Wales. 2012. p. 21. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  5. ^ Thompson, Angus (21 December 2021). "Labor's Inner West victory up in the air following recount requests". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  6. ^ Hore, Allison (23 December 2021). "After recount requests denied, meet the inner west's surprise new councillors". Inner West Review. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  7. ^ a b Merger Proposal: Burwood Council, City of Canada Bay Council, Strathfield Municipal Council, January 2016
  8. ^ Strathfield Council rejects proposal to merge with Burwood, Ashfield and Canada Bay, 26 April 2013
  9. ^ "Merger proposal: Ashfield Council, Leichhardt Municipal Council, and Marrickville Council" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. January 2016. p. 7. Retrieved 18 February 2016.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ a b c Hore, Allison (16 February 2022). "Inner West Council moves on demerger". Inner West Review. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Inner West Council Wards" (PDF). Stronger Councils. Government of New South Wales. 12 May 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.[dead link]
  12. ^ a b c "Home | Inner West Council | Community profile". profile.id.com.au. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
  13. ^ "Council Elections". May 2021. Archived from the original on 29 March 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  14. ^ a b c Visentin, Lisa (21 September 2017). "Labor wins inner west mayoralty after power-sharing deal with Liberals". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  15. ^ a b "Darcy Byrne re-elected as Inner West Mayor" (Press release). Inner West Council. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  16. ^ a b c "New Mayor and Deputy Mayor" (Press release). Inner West Council. 8 September 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  17. ^ Gorrey, Megan (7 September 2021). "Inner West councillors oust controversial Labor mayor Darcy Byrne". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  18. ^ "Inner West Council mayor Darcy Byrne replaced ahead of December elections". ABC News. 7 September 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  19. ^ a b c d Maguire, Sarah; Hore, Allison (29 December 2021). "Darcy Byrne wins election as inner west mayor". Inner West Review. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  20. ^ a b c "Minutes of Ordinary Council Meeting held on 19 September 2023" (PDF). Inner West Council. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  21. ^ "New Deputy Mayor for Inner West Council" (Press release). Inner West Council. 12 September 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  22. ^ "Cr Vittoria Raciti new Deputy Mayor of Inner West" (Press release). Inner West Council. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  23. ^ "Minutes of Ordinary Council Meeting on 22 September 2020" (PDF). Inner West Council. 22 September 2020. p. 2. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  24. ^ a b "Minutes of Ordinary Council Meeting held on 13 September 2022 at Ashfield Service Centre" (PDF). Inner West Council. 13 September 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  25. ^ Known as the Chief Executive Officer until 30 October 2020.
  26. ^ Barwell, David (2 September 2016). "INNER WEST COUNCIL GENERAL MANAGER VANESSA CHAN RESIGNS LESS THAN FOUR MONTHS INTO THE ROLE". Inner West Courier. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  27. ^ "Experienced GM to step in at Inner West Council" (Media Release). Inner West Council. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  28. ^ "Michael Deegan appointed new Inner West CEO" (Press release). Inner West Council. 20 February 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  29. ^ Thompson, Angus (21 October 2020). "Inner West Council CEO Michael Deegan resigns". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  30. ^ "Minutes of Ordinary Council Meeting on 27 October 2020" (PDF). Inner West Council. 27 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  31. ^ "New acting General Manager for Inner West" (Press release). Inner West Council. 30 October 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  32. ^ Thompson, Angus (30 March 2021). "'Enormous betrayal': Inner West GM resigns after Dawn Fraser Baths referral". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  33. ^ "Minutes of Ordinary Council Meeting on 13 April 2021" (PDF). Inner West Council. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  34. ^ "New General Manager for Inner West Council" (Press release). Inner West Council. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  35. ^ Maguire, Sarah (20 December 2021). "Labor picks up three seats for outright majority on Inner West Councill". Inner West Review. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  36. ^ "Inner West - Ashfield - Djarrawunang (Magpie) Ward". NSW Local Council Elections 2021. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  37. ^ a b c d e "Council Wards to Adopt Aboriginal Names". Inner West Council. 14 December 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  38. ^ a b c d e "Inner West Council Ward Map". Inner West Council. 14 December 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  39. ^ "Inner West - Balmain - Baludarri (Leather Jacket) Ward". NSW Local Council Elections 2021. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  40. ^ "Inner West - Leichhardt - Gulgadya (Grass Tree) Ward". NSW Local Council Elections 2021. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  41. ^ "Inner West - Marrickville - Midjuburi (Lillypilly) Ward". NSW Local Council Elections 2021. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  42. ^ "Inner West - Stanmore - Damun (Port Jackson Fig) Ward". NSW Local Council Elections 2021. NSW Electoral Commission. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  43. ^ a b c "Inner West". ABC News.
  44. ^ "Inner West council election, 2021". The Tally Room.
  45. ^ "Balmain candidates – NSW election 2019". The South Sydney Herald.
  46. ^ Inner West Council - Town Halls
  47. ^ "Collections - Libraries". Inner West Council. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  48. ^ "Library Fine Amnesty and Transition to New Services". Inner West Council. 13 February 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  49. ^ "Inner West Council: Library & History Catalogue Home". Inner West Council. Inner West Council Library & History. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  50. ^ "Locations and Opening Hours". Inner West Council. Retrieved 12 January 2019.

External links

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