Financial bumps and traffic humps

In times past the City of Nedlands prided itself on being well run and administered, even if some of its decisions were controversial.

I well remember the annual meeting of ratepayers when the only person from the public at the meeting was my wife and that was because we were on our way out after the meeting. There were no issues to excite the public interest.

The refusal of an audit clearance would have been unthinkable.

Now it looks like a shambles: Financial integrity under question; the council unable to agree on a lawful course of action to correct what should never have occurred in the first place; an auditor locked out of the council; meetings with government bureaucrats to help sort out the mess.

And a total loss of corporate memory. Surely even the council administration know that the last installation of speed humps (as now apparently decided for Vincent Street) was divisive in Carrington Street, and drew community protests forcing the council to back down and remove them.

There is a serious probity question over the unilaterally announced decision to install the speed humps. Several councillors contacted by irate ratepayers were not aware of the decision.

There is only one obvious course of action: The local government minister should exercise her powers to dismiss the council and put in an administrator until the issues are resolved in an open and transparent manner.

Then with new elections perhaps we can get some commonsense councillors to carry the burden of actually representing the Nedlands community.

Bill Hassell former City of Nedlands

councillor and deputy mayor Loneragan Street, Nedlands w