Social Inclusion Strategy
Feedback closed Friday 10 January 2025
Update:
Community consultation is closed and the Council decision was made on Monday 10 February.
This and all eight can be found here Informing Strategies(External link).
You can watch the discussion from this meeting here: Council Meeting 10 February 2025(External link).
Background
North Sydney Council recognises that social inclusion is essential to the well-being of our community. We want all members of the community to access the support they need to connect and engage.
As part of the ‘Have your say on North Sydney’s next ten years’ campaign in May and June 2024 Council asked the community what their priorities and needs were for building a socially inclusive community where everyone feels a sense of belonging. Council has listened to the feedback and combined it with research to develop the draft Social Inclusion Strategy.
We now invite the community to continue sharing their thoughts as we plan to implement the strategy.
For more information on the research that underpins this strategy, please refer to the Social Inclusion Study.
Key strategic directions
Recognising the potential for isolation and loneliness within our community, and acknowledging that social inclusion is fundamental to wellbeing, the North Sydney Social Inclusion Strategy aims to create a connected and socially inclusive community where everyone is valued.
To achieve this outcome, the strategy includes the following strategic directions:
Deliver and increase awareness of community events, programs and activities that strengthen and enrich meaningful connections.
Provide new and improved public and community spaces for people to meet and connect.
Nurture a shared sense of belonging where everyone’s voice is heard and people feel they are valued.
The Social Inclusion Strategy is one of eight draft informing strategies that articulate the needs and priorities of North Sydney over the next ten years. Once adopted, these strategies will form the basis of our new 2025-2035 Community Strategic Plan (CSP).
Cost of delivering the Social Inclusion Strategy
Timing and delivery of new projects and initiatives will be dependent on availability of funding from a variety of sources, including but not limited to grants, developer contributions, and rates.
A detailed breakdown of the estimated cost and funding sources for all capital works identified within the informing strategies is provided in the appendix at the end of the Long-Term Financial Plan (LTFP).
To deliver all expanded services and new and upgraded infrastructure detailed in the Social Inclusion Strategy, the estimated additional funding required from rates income is detailed in the table below:
Council is currently engaging with the community on a proposed special rate variation that presents four potential rate increase options. Options 2a, 2b and 3 will all facilitate delivery of the new projects and initiatives detailed in this strategy.
Using option 2b as an example, the average percentage of rates income that will be spent on delivering the expanded services and new and upgraded infrastructure identified in the Social Inclusion Strategy over the full ten year period is 2.1%.
This means that for every $100 of rates income received, an average of $2.10 would be spent on expanding and improving social inclusion opportunities in the LGA.
If you need help accessing the Strategy or would like to view a hard copy version, please call 02 9936 8100.
