FAQs

Wingecarribee 2041 is a long-term plan that identifies where the Wingecarribee community wants to be in the future and how we aim to get there.

All local governments in NSW will have a long-term Community Strategic Plan that considers their community's current and future needs and aspirations.  It is the highest-level plan developed by any council on behalf of its community.

While Wingecarribee Shire Council developed the Plan, it is not wholly responsible for its achievement.

Achieving our goals requires a collaborative effort involving the Council, other spheres of government, local business and industry and of course the community itself.

Wingecarribee 2041 is the community's plan.

The Plan was first developed in 2010 and involved more than 800 people from across the Shire.

Representatives from local community organisations, service providers and levels of government, participated in the Plan's creation and further 780, participated in the 2017 review.

Our program of community engagement was broad and diverse, allowing people to express their aspirations and priorities for the future.

A mix of methods was used to get people involved: from community surveys to creative workshops, discussion forums and focus groups.  The program was informed by a community engagement strategy that worked to achieve high levels of community participation and inclusion.

The 2023 review involved over 460 individual participants and activities including:

• a series of Focus Groups held in Mittagong, Moss Vale, Penrose and Yerrinbool
• an online Youth Survey
• a telephone Community Research Survey (statistically valid, representative sample of our community)
• a public exhibition and submission process

In designing the latest community engagement program, we considered the barriers that might deter people from participating and actively worked to reduce these by:

• offering a mix of face to face and online activities
• running consultations in the daytime and evening
• using accessible venues, close to public transport, across several locations

The review found the most significant gaps, both challenges and opportunities, were at the Goal and/or Strategy level. 

The Goals and Strategies have been updated to include:

• An ageing population
• Improving access to housing
• Increasing natural disasters and weather events
• Digital innovation and technology 
• Supporting and retaining young people
• Our strategic location
• Rural and slow tourism
• Supporting people with a disability to access jobs
• Creative industries

Issues already featured in the Plan that require further promotion and focus include:

• The role of arts and culture in community life
• Community's role in leadership
• Planning for a growing population
• Supporting the most vulnerable people in community
• Connecting to country, people and place
• Innovation and new technologies (in relation to the economy)
• Health and wellbeing in a COVID society and the burden of chronic illness

Issues already well covered in the Plan and remaining of high importance and urgency are:

• Climate Change
• Communication and engagement between levels of government and community
• Sustainability and condition of local infrastructure, particularly roads
• Financial sustainability
• Sustainable, fit for purpose local infrastructure
• Building resilience; our ability to survive, adapt and thrive
• Protecting biodiversity and our natural environment
• Renewable energies

Everyone has a role to play in achieving Wingecarribee 2041.

Many people and organisations are responsible for delivering the Plan, working together to achieve the community's vision.

Federal and State agencies, service providers, residents, business and industry, non-government organisations and community groups will each play a role.

Wingecarribee Shire Council is a key contributor in the deliver of the Plan and also plays an important role in initiating, preparing and maintaining the Plan on behalf of the community.  It also facilitates regular progress reports.

Stakeholders responsible for the delivery of the Community Strategic Plan tend to fall into the below categories:

• Community, Traditional Owners, Residents, Property Owners, Businesses, Visitors, Workers, Students
• Service Providers, Transport, Education, NBN, Energy, Community Support, Property, Telecommunications
• Local Groups, Village and Town Associations, Sporting Clubs, Community Groups, Business Chambers, Industry
• State/Federal Government, Planning, Environment, Health, Transport, Roads, Recreation, Infrastructure, Local Government, Regional Development, Social Services, Police, Emergency
• Council, Councillors, Committees, Panels, Working Groups, Employees, Volunteers

The State of Our Shire is a document that reports on any progress made towards, or away from, the aspirations and targets in the Community Strategic Plan.

Council develops the report at least every four years.

It considers the current 'state' of our community, economy, environment and local leadership.

It looks at trends over time and signals where urgent intervention might be required. It also tests the effectiveness of the current strategies in place.

The State of Our Shire report is the most comprehensive report on the Plan however more frequent Council