Update - 22 July 2024

At its meeting held on 22 July 2024, Council endorsed the Georges River Council Community Lease and Licence Policy. The purpose of the revised Policy is to provide an improved governance framework through which Council can determine the eligibility of community groups to occupy Council owned and managed land and buildings in an equitable and transparent manner and in accordance with relevant legislative requirements.

The updated policy can be found on the Georges River Council Codes, Policies and Registers page or at the link below.

2024 Community Lease and License Policy

Background

The Georges River Council Community Lease and Licence Policy provides an update of Georges River Council Community Lease Policy, which was adopted by Council on 4 September 2017.

The purpose of the revised Policy is to provide an improved governance framework through which Council can determine the eligibility of community groups to occupy Council owned and managed land and buildings in an equitable and transparent manner and in accordance with relevant legislative requirements.

The types of Council properties included in this Policy include community centres, scout halls, parks/sports fields and sporting and recreational facilities, such as sporting amenities.

The Policy review period and subsequent change with directorate responsibility, combined with the new legislative requirements have required a comprehensive review of the existing adopted Policy.

The review of this Policy was conducted in alignment with the commitments enshrined in Council’s Customer Experience Charter to:

• ensure information, resources and services are accessible to all; and
• actively strive to continuously improve based on customer feedback.

The revised Policy supports the following improvements to the customer experience:

1. Easier-to-read format for Council’s community organisations and groups;
2. Definitions of land classification types which result in different legislative and/or Policy processes for the issue of a lease/licence;
3. Standard lease and licence terms for improved governance and consistency;
4. Clearer duration and tendering including how leases/licences may be granted so that the community understand the governance process;
5. Outline of how applications are assessed by Council based on specific criteria; and
6. Improved criteria for rental subsidies for not-for-profit organisations, including consideration of subsidy based on charity revenue size (small/medium/large), noting that any subsidies for Registered Clubs will be determined by capacity to pay annual rent based on market valuation.

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How to be involved

Community feedback is essential in helping guide us in our decision-making process. Your feedback will influence the choices we make when developing our plans and ensure we are on the right path to achieving and managing our community's overall vision. If you would like to provide feedback or comments on the Policy, we encourage you to:

	Complete our online feedback form. Use the links below to submit your online feedback, or
	Return a hard copy submission.

If you are returning a hard copy submission, please quote SF21/300 Public Submission - Council Community Lease and Licence Policy at the beginning of your submission and return:

	In person to Georges River Council Civic Centre or Libraries
	Via email: mail@georgesriver.nsw.gov.au
	Via post: PO Box 205, Hurstville BC NSW 1481

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