Budgewoi and Wyong council Labor candidates - (L-R) Melanie Gould, Joy Cooper, Helen Crowley, Sarah Burns, Kyle MacGregor and Evan Schrei.

28 August 2024

 

THE Central Coast Labor candidates are committed to providing cheaper childcare for local residents and making this their number one priority and to freezing the fees and charges for sporting and community groups.

 

Budgewoi candidate Joy Cooper said that she and the rest of the Labor team opposed to the extension of the extreme rate rises and believes that council should focus on a back to basics approach, cut wasteful spending on unnecessary projects and diversify council incomes to stop locals being slugged for more.

 

Joy Cooper has dedicated the past eight years to scrutinising the Central Coast Council and plans to use her insights to ensure the council works hard for the community following the September local elections.

 

“I was chosen to be part of the formulation of the first One Central Coast Community Strategic Plan, a process that, if I am fortunate enough to be elected to council, I look forward to participating in again for the next 10-year strategic plan,” she said.

 

“I have regularly spoken at the community forum held before each council meeting on items included in the Council Agenda or Business Papers. I’ve spoken in the best interests of the community on the  against the Special Rate Variation, sale of community and public land and an array of environmental issues.

 

“I stood up and spoke out against the land selloff that has been underway since Dick Persson took over as Interim Administrator in October 2020 and that has continued under Rik Hart. I have questioned why public land must be sold off now that we are being told the council is in good financial order.

 

“I was one of the first to oppose the sale of Thompson Vale Road Land at Doyalson. That land was sold for $2 million below the price council had paid for the land. Then it was cleared without approval resulting in the developer being fined."

 

The Labor candidates also believe that through working with the NSW Government, they can reduce people's water rates with recent legislative changes through the NSW Parliament.

 

Wyong candidate Kyle MacGregor said, “We are the only ones with a plan to combat the cost of living crisis. We commit to delivering cheaper childcare options for local families, freezing fees and charges for our sporting and community groups and to oppose the continuation of extreme rate rises”

 

“Working people deserve a better deal from their Council and the measures we are proposing are sensible and achievable ways to help our people with the cost of living," Kyle MacGregor said.

 

“Our community deserves Cheaper Childcare and only Labor will deliver it for you.

 

“Community sport is the lifeblood of our community and I want to see more kids playing sport not less, that’s why I want to freeze the fees and charges, and stop them going up.

 

“Rents and mortgages are going up, groceries are going up and Labor are the only ones who have a tried and true plan to ease the squeeze and stop slugging locals for more.

 

“This is part of our plan to make the council work for you, and not against you. You can’t afford more of the same from council, the council isn’t working and we need a council that listens, cares and responds to our community, not dismisses it.”

 

Evan Schrei, who is also a Labor candidate for Wyong, said “The residents of the Coast are suffering and we owe it to the community to help however we can.

 

“Young families are struggling to keep their head above water and Laobr will help bring relief."

 

All Labor candidates are looking forward to being a part of the return to local democracy on the Central Coast and to making sure residents, rather than being treated like an inconvenience, are the focus of council’s operations. The efficient delivery of basic services, not pie in the sky vanity projects, is paramount.

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