Works Depot location finally finalised

Waverley Council is on the verge of securing a new site for its Council Works Depot.

Five years after Council caused residential uproar when it canvassed Dover Heights as a proposed site for the Depot, Waverley Mayor John Wakefield is now in the final throws of negotiation for purchase of land in the South Sydney industrial region.

“I’ve put in place the first prerequisite … we’ve got the money,” Mr Wakefield said. “We’ve released many millions of dollars to allow us to move forward and acquire a piece of land in an industrial zone like Alexandria.

“That will guarantee to the people of Dover Heights, it is not coming back around again in their neighborhood.”

Currently based at Green Square, the redevelopment plan for the Square has made securing a new Depot site imperative. Council workers will base themselves and equipment at the new venue and make the trip into the Waverley precinct whenever necessary.

Labor’s Mr Wakefield was critical of former Mayor and current Liberal Councillor Sally Betts for promoting the initial proposal to dig underneath Hugh Bamford Reserve in Dover Heights to construct a new depot.

“This was when Sally [Betts] was the Mayor and she did not stop it,” he said. “In fact, behind the scenes she was saying things like: ‘Don’t worry, my residents will support it’.

“When push came to shove and the residents were up in arms about it … she backed away. She wasted tens of thousands of dollars on a proposal that clearly never had legs.”

Ms Betts defended her involvement on the matter, arguing Labor moved and seconded a motion in September 2007 aimed at investigating Hugh Bamford Reserve as a sub-depot.

“The Labor Party as usual cannot tell the truth,” Ms Betts said. “What they haven’t told anybody is this is their idea. The truth can be found in the minutes.”

Ms Betts also accused Labor of over-spending through Mr Wakefield’s time in power, pointing to the $15,000 forecast budget deficit for the current financial year.

“We introduced the rate rise and then the Labor Party said: ‘It’s too high,” Ms Betts said. “But they happily spent it and more. How can they be so upset about the rate rise? John [Wakefield] spent all that and more … it doesn’t matter how much more.”

Mr Wakefield said: “It is false. It is an untruth. It is a misrepresentation of what’s occurring.

“Technically, when you’re dealing with a $100 million organisation like Waverley Council is, a balanced budget is somewhere between 0.1 per cent around zero … $20,000 to $30,000 under or over.

“The forecast Waverley Council budget has moved from $50,000 under Councillor Betts to $15,000 under me, neither of which are a real deficit.”