In a very strange and unusual event, the May Lismore City Council meeting ran without controversy and was completed in one hour and twenty minutes, that is with a five-minute technical delay. At least the public access part of the meeting as there were quite a few items that were discussed in a confidential session.

Councillors unanimously voted to support the General Manager's recommendation that incentives be given to developers so they apply to build more affordable and diverse housing options in Lismore.

During the March LCC meeting, council voted to adopt the Affordable and Diverse Housing Strategy. The Strategy sets a policy goal that by 2033, 40% of all new housing will be ‘diverse’ or ‘medium density’ (as defined in the Strategy) and 15% of all new housing will be affordable to households in the ‘very low’ to ‘moderate’ income categories (as defined in the Housing SEPP (State Environmental Planning Policy)).

As well as facilitating the supply of land and suitable planning controls, council will give developers a 25% discount in Developer Contributions for Affordable Housing and 100% discount for Shop-Top Housing in the CBD. A list of other development types such as flats, senior housing and multi-dwelling housing will be able to defer their development contributions until prior to the Occupation Certificate being issued.

In the comments that followed by councillors, there appeared to be some apprehension around the Affordable Housing part of the strategy and the support of the private sector.

Councillor (Cr) Adam Guise said the Shop-Top Housing incentive was "superficially good on the surface but in light of the catastrophic which we experienced and the challenges and concerns of people living in that housing space, it remains to be seen as to whether that will be taken up by any more than it has been done already."

Cr Guise went on to say that the incentives did not go far enough and what is needed is government intervention if we are to really achieve affordable social public housing.

Cr Big Rob mentioned the increased building costs and not being able to twist anyone's arm to build affordable housing. "All we can do is make things easier and cheaper and I think we're doing that," he said.

Cr Elly Bird said she hopes that we get some ethical developers "who want to come and be part of Lismore's future and solving complex housing problems that we have here in the Northern Rivers."

Time will tell if the Affordable and Diverse Housing Strategy is an effective one. LCC has had consultation with developers and Community Housing Providers as to what incentives would be appropriate, now we wait and see if this offer is acted upon when suitable land is approved for development.

Later in the meeting, Cr Guise asked why the planned social housing projects at Cynthia Wilson Drive and Bristol Circuit in Goonellabah were delayed. Director of Partnerships, Planning and Engagement Eber Butron answered by saying the process of identifying a suitable housing provider is taking longer than expected but the project is going ahead.

The March Quarterly Budget Review Statement was updated to reflect the actual or anticipated result. The QBRS is dominated by grants received by LCC from the state and federal government and will be for the next few years. The big question to be answered surrounds the long-term financial sustainability of LCC.

LCC staff said, "Whilst Council’s underlying financial position as of 31 March 2023 is anticipated to be satisfactory, having regards to the adopted 2022/23 Operational Plan, there are indicators requiring immediate attention to ensure long-term financial sustainability. Council is taking steps to address this through the Capability and Capacity Recovery Roadmap (CCRR) funding."

In other council news, LCC will write a letter of support for Women Up North as they apply for grants in its efforts to seek out community housing funding to establish permanent community housing, as well as crisis accommodation, in the Lismore local government area.

There were two Codes of Conduct matters before councillors, one against Cr Steve Krieg and one against Cr Big Rob.

It was resolved that both matters did not support the investigator's recommendation to censure both councillors as it was not considered the Code of Conduct was not breached and that it does not have confidence in the Procedures for the Administration of the Model Code of Conduct for Local Councils in NSW.

Further examples of why the Code of Conduct process should be overhauled or scrapped by the Office of Local Government.