Council’s strategic planning process

Our online Annual Report is a key tool that monitors our 2020-21 performance
against our Council and Community Plan 2017–2021.

The Plan is the strategic framework for our activities. It incorporates our rolling 10-year Glen Eira Strategic Resource Plan 2020–21 to 2029–30, which outlines the financial and non-financial resources we need to achieve the objectives in the Council and Community Plan. The Plan is structured around five key priority areas.

Our current performance reporting includes monthly financial reporting and quarterly reporting against the commitment actions in our Council and Community Plan 2017–2021.

We also set annual commitments to ensure we reach our longer-term strategic indicators of success across the life of the Plan.

Note: a new four-year Council Plan will be endorsed in October 2021. This four-year Council Plan will replace the Council and Community Plan and outline how we will dedicate our organisation to supporting our community, strengthening trust, embedding collaboration and prioritising the areas that are important to people who live, work and play in our municipality. It will also provide a blueprint for how we will ensure the aspirations outlined in our 2040 Community Vision are progressed over the next four years from 2021 to 2025.

Glen Eira Council and Community Plan goals and results 2020–2021

The Glen Eira Council and Community Plan 2017–2021 sets a vision for our City and identifies our goals and aspirations.

We formulated the Plan in partnership with the community. It guides individuals, businesses, local groups and other levels of government on our strategic priorities. We developed our priorities by consulting with you, analysing demographic data and referring to key government and social policies.

This diagram outlines our planning and accountability framework.

The Plan’s five themes include long-term community goals, strategic objectives for those goals, accompanying commitments and performance tables.

Liveable and well designed

Long-term community goal:
A well-planned City that is a great place to be.

We are committed to Glen Eira being a well designed City that is safe, attractive and vibrant for our residents and businesses.

In 2020–2021, we:

  • continued our commitment to social and affordable housing in the municipality by delivering 82 per cent of year two actions in the Social and Affordable Housing Strategy 2019–2023 Action Plan. This included working with adjoining councils to encourage the development of consistent policies; completing a mapping of unused or potential State Government sites within Glen Eira where opportunities exist for social and/or affordable housing projects; developing a position paper on adopting a standard policy for affordable housing requirements on rezoned sites; and conducting training for our Urban Planning Department about achieving affordable housing outcomes in planning applications;
  • completed the detailed designs for the proposed redevelopment of Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool in preparation for tender. The designs consider feedback from the community during the last consultation phase in August 2020 to retain the essential elements of Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool — nostalgic feel, concrete façade. An Expression of Interest for a suitable contractor has been completed, with the formal tender phase due to commence in September 2021; and
  • commenced construction of the new Bentleigh Library and Youth Hub in March 2021. The Bentleigh Library and Community Hub will be a new community centre and the new home for our Youth Services. Multipurpose spaces will deliver a range of services, programs and events for young people, adults, and families, through to senior citizens. The Hub is expected to be completed by mid-2022.

To find out more and view our 2020–2021 progress, download PDF

Accessible and well connected

Long-term community goal:
A City that is easy to move around, full of safe travel options and walkable neighbourhoods.

We are committed to maintaining a safe footpath network, upgrading bicycle routes and coming up with new solutions to address parking demands.

In 2020–2021, we:

  • expanded our Active Schools Program, which encourages parents and children to walk, ride or scoot to school. We have 13 local schools participating in the program and hope to continue to grow this. To assist us with this, we welcomed funding from VicHealth which will be used to encourage further schools to participate in the Active Schools initiative that will be run in October 2021; and
  • commenced implementation of our Cycling Action Plan, which included developing a plan to install a network of cyclist counters for continuous monitoring; developing a draft of the Street Design Guidelines, to ensure future on-road cycling provisions are of a high standard; completing a Cycling Guide; completing a draft Bike Parking Strategy; and working in consultation with Chadstone Shopping Centre and Stonnington Council to connect the Djerring Trail in Murrumbeena with the Scotchman’s Creek Trail in Malvern East, via Boyd Park Murrumbeena.

To find out more and view our 2020–2021 progress, download PDF

Safe, Healthy and Inclusive

Long-term community goal:
A strong and safe community that connects people and enhances health and wellbeing.

We are committed to being a community that is safe, healthy and inclusive. Our aim is to help people feel socially included, with access to quality support services. We will build a social environment that encourages participation, where people are safe in their homes and around our streets.

In 2020–2021 we:

  • delivered 95 per cent of actions (41 out of 43) from our Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan for 2020–21. This included the development of a Business Resource Hub containing information on small business grants, rent relief, webinars for businesses and support for residents and ratepayers during COVID-19 lockdowns; administering more than 7,050 vaccinations to infants and children and 1,865 influenza vaccinations to eligible residents and staff; supporting 130 older residents through our Active Adults exercise program which promoted staying active during COVID-19; and spreading acts of kindness to our community through our Glen Eira Be Kind initiative; and
  • continued to implement the actions within our Reconciliation Action Plan 2018–20, including: exploring options to expand and/or review Aboriginal markers and storyboards around Glen Eira’s parks and open space; developing an Aboriginal cultures and histories publication of Glen Eira; and exploring options of possible locations to establish a Learning Stone site. We were also delighted to be announced winner of Reconciliation Victoria and Victorian Local Government Association’s respected HART (Helping Achieve Reconciliation Together) Award in the Local Government category for 2021 for our January 26 Koorie Day Out program of events which included (in the words of the Awards organisers) “… lowering the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags to half mast to acknowledge the pain of the day and ensure the Koorie Day Out is a culturally safe place”.
  • significantly increased our online presence and engagement with the community via Glen Eira Leisure’s GEL Anywhere program, which included more than 1,350 programs being presented on nutrition, mental health, fitness, and group fitness classes for children and older adults. More than 55 programs for people with disabilities were also provided free for the community. Glen Eira Libraries also pivoted several programs and events online, including Library@Home StoryTimes and in-conversation with local and international authors.

To find out more and view our 2020–2021 progress, download PDF

Clean and sustainable

LONG-TERM COMMUNITY GOAL:
An attractive and sustainable environment for future generations.

We are committed to providing a City that will be attractive and environmentally sustainable. We will protect the diversity of plants and animals and provide for a healthy environment that supports our community to live healthy and happy lives.

In 2020–2021, we:

  • endorsed Our Climate Emergency Response Strategy 2021–2025 on 29 June 2021. Extensive community and stakeholder consultation was undertaken to inform the final Strategy, which sets out how we will achieve our new emission reduction targets of zero net emissions for Council operations by 2025 and for the community by 2030;
  • assessed the outcomes of our weekly green bin trial held in McKinnon and Ormond throughout October 2019. The outcomes from the weekly green bin trial were presented to Council on 21 July 2020 where Council resolved to further rollout the weekly green bin, fortnightly red bin collection to the wider community. On 8 September 2020, Council endorsed a plan to rollout the weekly green bin service to the Glen Eira community from July 2021; and
  • enhanced the protection of significant trees across the municipality, which included consultation with the community on a Classified Tree Local Law. On 1 September 2020, following public consultation and after consideration of community submissions, Council resolved to adopt the Classified Tree Local Law.

To find out more and view our 2020–2021 progress, download PDF

Informed and engaged

LONG-TERM COMMUNITY GOAL:
A well-governed Council that is committed to transparency and engages residents in decision-making.

We are committed to retaining our reputation for good governance and ensuring the community feels informed and engaged. We will provide access to timely and relevant information about issues that affect them and establish a range of opportunities for them to share their views, comment on our performance and actively participate in decision-making.

In 2020–2021, we:

  • worked closely with the community to develop the Glen Eira 2040 Community Vision which was endorsed by Council on 19 May 2021. This important achievement has been promoted widely and shared across our community groups and organisations through newsletters, correspondence and presentations, acknowledging that the community’s vision will be important for all of our future planning for Glen Eira;
  • increased our online transactions by 13.2 per cent, with 45 per cent of all transactions received through digital channels. As more people are turning online for services, we will continue looking for improvements to our digital channels to make it easier for our community members to transact with Council through their channel of choice; and
  • continued our advocacy efforts and secured $16.53 million in grant funding from peak bodies, State and Federal Governments in the 2020–21 financial year. We have also been advocating to State and Federal Governments on a wide variety of social and local issues including; regulation of rooming houses; Caulfield to Rowville light rail; planning reform; indigenous representation; JobSeeker payments; availability of COVID-19 vaccinations; funding for Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool redevelopment; funding for urban forest initiatives; and funding for electric vehicle infrastructure.

To find out more and view our 2020–2021 progress, download PDF