Lord Mayor's column: Blitzing it this quarter

It’s time for the Quarterly Review.

And no, this isn’t a Broadway hit – but it’s certainly something worth singing about!

The Quarterly Review provides the perfect snapshot of what Council has been delivering for the community over the past three months and how our services continue to meet the needs of a growing city.

Firstly, I’m very pleased to report that we are in a strong financial position and have transferred $16.7 million to our Strategic Projects Restricted Assets to assist in managing future major projects.

This is important because this money has been set aside to facilitate essential and vital projects for our community as they come to fruition. As you can imagine, big projects are years in the planning, but having the funds set aside in preparation can make things happen quicker.

On the subject of funds, we’re very grateful to the Federal Government and their $10 million boost through the Infrastructure Investment Program for the Southern Suburbs Community Centre and Library at Warrawong. This project has been really coming to life this quarter – you can’t miss it as you drive past King  Street, – and I can’t wait to see it open in the second half of 2027.

This quarter also saw the bedding in of Council’s new Blitz program. This initiative brings together crews from across Council who go out into the heart of our suburbs to give them some extra love on top of their usual maintenance schedules. It’s an intensive glow-up, and they’ve been really well received in all the eight suburbs that have been blitzed to date.

The temperature might have dropped, but things didn’t cool down when it comes to events and activations! We had Voices and City Skate in the Crown Street Mall, and a very successful Jazz in the City event in partnership with WollCon (I’d loved to see a Motown or Broadway version one day…).

Plus, Council also continued to work with local businesses to promote the city’s different entertainment precincts. Across this quarter there was a focus on drawing attention to the diversity of parking options in the city, and where to find it. Check out Council’s social media channels or website if you’re looking for hints and tips.

One of my personal highlights this quarter was the launch of the LG8 in NSW Parliament in May and at the National Local Government Conference in June. This is a really exciting initiative and one that aligns Wollongong with our seven neighbouring local government areas to bolster our connections, shared interests and advocacy. As part of the launch we met with Federal Local Government Minister Kristy McBain (pictured top) and the conversations around our strategic alliance and regional priorities were very well received.

It’s a busy time at Wollongong City Council and I offer my sincere thanks to all of the Wollongong Council staff who are on the ground delivering for our community every day. Their efforts, along with the guidance of Council’s General Manager and Executive, are driving Wollongong forward in a positive direction.