& Prosperous Economy
COMMUNITY THEME
• A connected and inclusive community with access to a range of services and facilities that contribute to health and wellbeing.
• Well informed local and potential companies about the range of employment opportunities, locations and business intelligence about the region.
CHALLENGES AHEAD
•
Tapping into the skills and ideas of Council’s volunteers for the benefit of the community.•
Facilitating community services to tackle the community changes and issues prevalent.•
Ensuring existing and potential Hills companies are fully informed about local business opportunities and the suite of business intelligence Council offers can assist with their business growth and site location decisions.•
Encourage event promoters to hold major events and support community events for residents to enjoy.• Continuing to develop media strategies that include all methods of communication - print, social media, online etc.
QUICK FACTS
% OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE & WORK IN THE SHIRE
June16 June 17 June 18 June 19 June 20
42.6 42.6 39.0
LOCAL BUSINESSES
June16 June 17 June 18 June 19 June 20 19,249 20,142 21,270
FLEXIBLE RESPITE NO. OF HOURS HILLS COMMUNITY CARE
June16 June 17 June 18 June 19 June 20 10,467 7,036 6,666 10,814
39.0
22,077
N/A
23,256
15,622 LIBRARY LOANS
June16 June 17 June 18 June 19 June 20
1.38M 1.33M 1.24M 1.21M 1.01M
ORDINARY MEETING OF COUNCIL 23 FEBRUARY, 2021
The Hills Shire Council Quarter Two Review as at December 2020 11
Achievements to date
LIBRARY SERVICES Quarter Two:
Mayor’s Christmas Fine Amnesty Mayor of The Hills Shire, Dr Michelle Byrne is waiving library fines in exchange for non-perishable food items this Christmas season. More than 1,600 donations, including biscuits, tinned food, pasta and much more were given to Anglicare, a not-for-profit organisation who helps those in need. As well as the donations, 1,202 overdue library resources were also returned, including two items from 2011.
Tailored Reads – The novel way to discover what to read next! The Library Service is now offering a Tailored Reads service to help members spend less time looking for a book and more time reading.
The Library’s experienced staff hand-pick five books for members based on their reading preferences, which are submitted to staff through a short, online form. Members are then notified via email when the books are ready to collect from their selected library. The Tailored Reads service helps readers explore different authors and ideas that they may not have considered before.
Quarter One:
Hills Voices The Hills Shire Library Service is documenting experiences of life in The Hills Shire during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions to maintain a record for researchers and future generations.
They are calling on Hills residents to share their experiences from the past few months. Everything from daily routines, how we stay in contact with friends and family, our leisure time and more has been impacted by COVID-19.
We want to keep a record of these changes to inform future generations and document the experience of living through a global pandemic.
The Year One Reading Club can now be accessed online. The Hills Shire Library Service is making it easier for Year One students and their parents and/or guardians to remotely access the popular reading program.
With many people doing the right thing and limiting their movements during the COVID-19 pandemic, we wanted to ensure our youngest readers still had access to the Year One Reading Club.
Year One Reading Club members can access books via The Hills Shire Library App and track their time spent reading on the downloadable Reading Log.
Once their Reading Log is complete, they can bring it into any Hills Shire Library - no later than the 30 November 2020 - to receive their reward bag.
CIVIC EVENTS
Quarter Two: A series of festive themed light installations at Arthur Whitling Park, near Castle Hill metro station were switched on to illuminate The Hills during the Christmas season.
The installations invite people to take a fun, selfie- inspiring journey through a light-filled Christmas tree forest with swirly candy cane shrubs until they reach the massive multi-coloured ‘Joy Tree’, surrounded by larger than life playful polar bears.
Quarter One:
New citizens welcomed in a COVID-19 safe ceremony. Council welcomed 165 new Australian citizens at a citizenship ceremony on Thursday 27 August.
Attendees hailed from 33 different countries including Italy, Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, Thailand and Nepal.
This was the first citizenship ceremony since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Extra safety precautions were taken during the ceremony, including reducing numbers, splitting attendees into two groups, requesting attendees wear masks and following social distancing guidelines to align with the COVID-19 Safety Plan.
More citizenship ceremonies are planned to be held in this manner in the future, with the next ceremony scheduled for National Citizenship Day on Thursday, September 17.
OBF Garden Competition - The garden competition, which is organised by The Hills- Kellyville Rotary Club, usually runs as part of The Hills Shire Council’s Orange Blossom Festival. Due to health restrictions and the threat of spreading COVID-19 further into the community, the Festival has been postponed.
However, the annual garden competition, which started in 1949, is still able to run and The Hills- Kellyville Rotary are encouraging avid gardeners to submit their entry.
COMMUNITY SERVICES
Quarter Two: The Hills Domestic Violence Prevention Network (HDVPN) has launched a video, aimed at raising awareness of Domestic Violence and the services that can assist people in these situations.
The video, which was developed in partnership
ORDINARY MEETING OF COUNCIL 23 FEBRUARY, 2021
12 The Hills Shire Council Quarter Two Review as at December 2020
To achieve our strategy of a vibrant community and prosperous economy - we focused on the following actions:
ACTION PROGRESS PERFORMANCE
Investigate potential sites for a future cemetery.
The property team engaged a consultant and completed an initial assessment of the options.
The project is on hold pending the outcome of the IPART cemetery review. Once released the next step will be to prepare a business case on the financial viability and competitor analysis.
Develop and implement a new Library Strategy.
Following review of the draft strategy further research is being undertaken to establish the services, service models and products likely to be relevant to the Library of the Future.
How we progressed our four year actions
Complete
On Trackwith The Hills Shire Council through funding received from the Targeted Early Intervention Program, premiered on Friday 27 November, and will be shared across local social media platforms.
Locally, the Hills recorded a 41.5% increase in the number of domestic and family violence cases.
This increase has been attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, with many families isolating together – working and completing school work – within close quarters.
Quarter One:
Youth Ambassadors Anthony Radic and Hayley Irving were announced on Wednesday 15 July. The Youth Ambassador role bridges the gap between Council and the interests of youth in the Hills Shire.
Eighteen year old Hayley is currently studying at Macquarie University and hopes to forge a career in politics one day. She would like to use her appointment as Youth Ambassador to give people her age and younger a stronger voice in the community.
Anthony is a Year Leader at Rouse Hill High School and is dedicated to advocating for youth wellbeing, specifically around the stresses of academic life.
Anthony would also like to strengthen connections between youth in the Hills and the wider community.
FIRE CONTROL Quarter Two:
Staff and volunteers have been busy with planning and completing control line works in preparation to recommence Hazard Reductions when the weather is conducive.
More than 150 permits to burn have been processed during quarter two allowing residents to mitigate the risk (pile burns) on their properties with residents continuing to maintain their asset protection zones (APZ).
Volunteers continue to maintain emergency response to The Hills Community. Essential maintenance on vehicles, equipment and stations continues in accordance with COVID-19 restrictions.
Majority of training courses were completed prior to the commencement of the Bush Fire Danger Period (1 October 2020). Volunteers continue with essential training to ensure their skills are maintained.
Quarter One:
Get Ready Weekend took place in September 2020 and aimed to start a broader conversation about being aware of and prepared for all bushfire related hazards.
HILLS COMMUNITY CARE Quarter One:
Portable alarm devices accessible for seniors Clients from The Hills Shire Council’s Hills Community Care (HCC) service received a free portable alarm which sends an alert to family members or other emergency contacts with just a simple push of the device’s button.
The personal monitoring technology, allows the individual to seek help, even when they are in a situation where they can’t access their phone. It provides the client and their families with an added sense of security and that peace of mind. With many older Hills residents opting to remain in self isolation to protect themselves from the threat of COVID-19, this device becomes increasingly important. Especially, when it becomes harder to reach out to a family member who could also be self isolating.
Ensuring The Shire’s most vulnerable residents can get help when they need it, as well as keeping
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ORDINARY MEETING OF COUNCIL 23 FEBRUARY, 2021
The Hills Shire Council Quarter Two Review as at December 2020 13 Hills Illuminate at Arthur Whitling Park
them connected to their local community is a top priority for this Council during this challenging time.
Council is assessing its HCC clients to see if they are eligible to receive one of the 100 portable alarm devices.
Council is a registered provider under the Federal Government’s My Age Care, which is the is the starting point to access Australian Government-funded aged care services.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Quarter Two: The Western Sydney Business Centre in partnership with The Hills Shire Council kicked-off their Thrive small business workshop series on October 14 – with Craft your Customer Avatar.
These workshops are incredibly beneficial for small business owners.
It provides them with a whole new perspective to running and marketing their business, as well as finding new ways to adapt to an ever-changing marketplace.
Thrive is a four part modular series that has been specifically designed to transform Local Hills businesses and take marketing and digital marketing skills to a whole new level.
Alongside the modules, there is the opportunity to meet with Business Connect Advisors to help businesses on their journey.
ORDINARY MEETING OF COUNCIL 23 FEBRUARY, 2021
14 The Hills Shire Council Quarter Two Review as at December 2020 BUILDING A VIBRANT COMMUNITY & PROSPEROUS ECONOMY
Measuring our Quality of Life
18-19 19-20 QUALITY OF LIFE INDICATOR
HILLS SHIRE PLAN
OUTCOME STRATEGY
86.7 86.4 • % of people who rate the library collection as good or very good.
1. Ensure a connected and inclusive community with access to a range of services and facilities that contribute to health and wellbeing.
NSW State Plan Priorities
• Safer Communities
• Better Service
• Protecting the vulnerable
• Increasing cultural participation
1.1 Provide quality Library resources, programs and facilities for leisure, cultural and education opportunities.
33,690 24,495 • Number of participants in library events and programs.
16.0 16.0 • Number of identified neighbourhood safer places.
1.2 Through strong partnerships provide and support safety activities in relation to bush fire management and other emergency services to foster a safe community.
92.8 92.8 • Community satisfaction with emergency services.
59.0 59.0 • Community satisfaction with children and youth services and facilities.
1.3 Facilitate the provision of services across the community.
77.8 77.8 • Community satisfaction with services and facilities for older people.
80.2 80.2 • Community satisfaction with support for volunteer organisations.
75.4 75.4 • Community satisfaction for provision of community events.
N/A* N/A* • Per capita voluntary participation.
55.0 55.0 • % people who agree or strongly agree that they have easy access to entertainment/cultural facilities.
1.4 Recognise and value our community’s local heritage and culture.
82.0 82.0 • Community satisfaction - heritage buildings - protection of heritage values and buildings.
$11.8B N/A* • Gross regional product. 2. Attract investment to our Shire - the vibrant key business centre in the region.
NSW State Plan Priorities
• Strong Budget and Economy
• Making it easier to start a business.
• Encouraging business investment.
2.1 Promote an awareness of the region’s business opportunities and provide information and support to attract new investment and jobs.
$23.6B N/A* • Total Output sales.
22,063 N/A* • Number of workplaces. 2.2 Support existing
businesses and business networks to increase business capacity and capabilities to grow jobs.
86,168 N/A* • Number of jobs.
39.0 N/A* • % population living and working in The Hills Shire.
2,754,703 N/A* • Number of visitors to The Sydney Hills.
2.3 Supporting visitor economy in The Sydney Hills for planned growth.
* Data not available at time of compiling
Quality of Life indicators are reported annually. The column below shows a two year comparison with current year’s results reported in blue. Other results below are as per the community survey conducted in October 2018.
ORDINARY MEETING OF COUNCIL 23 FEBRUARY, 2021
The Hills Shire Council Quarter Two Review as at December 2020 15
Operational Performance Measures
BUILDING A VIBRANT COMMUNITY & PROSPEROUS ECONOMY
KPI METHOD TARGET ACTUAL
PERFORMANCE STATUS
Buildings Operations
Customer requests completed on time (buildings infrastructure maintenance).
> is better 90 95
Maintenance contracts renewed on time. > is better 100 100
Children’s Services
Occupancy ratio (CCC). > is better 93 93
Civic Events
Customer satisfaction across stakeholders and event attendees.
> is better 85 80.87 Communications & Marketing
% Customer satisfied with Council website. > is better 75 91.46
Community Services
Customer satisfaction across community organisations. > is better 85 87.50
Community Venues
Increase in hours of use for community facilities. > is better 5 4.40 Hills Community Care Administration
Hills Community Care customer satisfaction. > is better 90 98
Library Services
% of people who rate the Library collection as good or very good (Ex).
> is better 80 86.43
Number of participants in library programs and activities. > is better 15000 10157 Fire Control
High priority hazards against reduction plans (Ex). > is better 37.50 54
Satisfaction level of volunteers (RFS) (Ex). > is better 85 95
Satisfaction rating of all training courses (RFS) (Ex). > is better 90 95
Economic Development
Customer satisfaction across business community. > is better 85 95.80
NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS IN LIBRARY PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES COVID-19 restrictions have limited the number of participants at library programs.
On Track Action Required
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION ACROSS STAKEHOLDERS & EVENT ATTENDEES COVID-19 restrictions have led to either the cancellation of events or restrictions on the number of participants at events.
INCREASE IN HOURS OF USE FOR COMMUNITY FACILITIES Changes to booking management system has caused some issues with data comparison. COVID Health Order restrictions have heavily impacted utilisation of Council’s venues with restrictions tightening again in the lead up to Christmas 2020.
ORDINARY MEETING OF COUNCIL 23 FEBRUARY, 2021
16 The Hills Shire Council Quarter Two Review as at December 2020 WHERE ARE WE NOW?
Hills Future is Council’s long term Community Strategic Plan that directs the four year Delivery Program and annual budgets. Council is committed to delivering the outcomes of Hills Future, with a strong financial position that has continued over many years.