Woodford: Mark Your Calendar, Council’s Heading West!

Published 12 May 2022

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The full Moreton Bay Regional Council is coming to Woodford on June 15 and the invitation is open for anyone who wants to meet with the Councillors and Directors.

Mayor Peter Flannery said this was a unique opportunity to raise local issues, and an important meeting just two days before the 2022-23 Budget is handed down on June 17.

“To mark the occasion, we’ll be hosting a consultation workshop with industry representations to provide feedback on Council’s draft Food and Agribusiness Industry Plan,” Mayor Flannery said.

“Agriculture, forestry and fishing in the Moreton Bay region supports 3,145 local jobs, generates $708 million in local sales each year, and is a key pillar of our Regional Economic Development Strategy (REDS).

“The Woodford area is a contributor to the region’s agri-business successes, with 43 agriculture and forestry businesses, accounting for 13 per cent of employment in the local area.

“This will be our third instalment of the Community Council series, after successful events in Samford and Deception Bay.

“Personally, I’m particularly interested to speak with locals about our City Vision for Moreton Bay and how we can reimagine our region as a city of amazing places and natural spaces.

“Specifically, this means directing development away from our agricultural, coastal and hinterland areas to strategic centres. This is called a ‘polycentric’ approach.

“I know there’s been some reluctance to this suggestion in rural areas, but the fact is we are already a city and our population is already larger than places such as Canberra, Newcastle and Geelong.

“But we need to start behaving like a city if we’re going to get the funding we need - and deserve - from the State and Federal Governments, because our infrastructure is lagging behind our population.

“We’ve seen the CBD concept in other areas fail, and we don’t want to replicate that here, especially in rural places such as Woodford, so this is about protecting the unique characters of the many individual centres in across our region.

“And these unique communities will continue to be well represented and supported, such as Cr Tony Latter calling for safer routes to school, which saw $900,000 in this year’s Budget for a pathway along the D’Aguilar Highway.

“We saw a need to install air conditioning at the Woodford Memorial Hall, and we’ll be hosting the Community Council meeting here to test it out!”

Cr Latter (Div 12) said it will be an invaluable opportunity for people who can’t usually make it to a Council meeting to come along and watch the Chamber proceedings.

“Make sure you mark June 15 on your calendar and come along to have your say,” he said.

“Council makes decisions on your behalf about attracting and supporting businesses, helping community groups, building and improving roads, parks and sporting facilities and generally improving the lives of Moreton Bay residents.

“We are proud of the work we do, but we remember that it’s to benefit our communities, so it’s important to hear from you.

“The deputations we’ve had in other parts of the region have been invaluable to us as decision makers, so I encourage everyone to register now for a meeting by complete the meeting request form.”

The Community Council Meeting will be at Woodford Memorial Hall from 9.30am on June 15.

One-on-one meetings with Councillors will also be offered to residents, with significantly more scheduled than in Samford and Deception Bay - but they are expected to be booked quickly.