Council plan

Council Plan 2021—2025

Council’s new four-year Council Plan sets out how we will deliver on our promises to make Darebin an equitable, vibrant and connected community.

The Council Plan incorporates the Municipal Health and Wellbeing Plan, Budget 2021-22 and the Darebin 2041 Community Vision.

These three documents, shaped directly by the community, lay the foundation for the City of Darebin’s short, medium, and long-term future.

A Financial Plan 2021-31 and Revenue and Rating Plan 2021-25 were also endorsed in June 2021.

An annual action plan to implement the Council Plan was also endorsed and will be renewed each year.

Our community at the heart of our vision

For the first time ever, our community has developed a vision to set the aspirations for the future Darebin, and the community we want to be 20 years from now.

More than 1600 community members told us what they wanted to see for the municipality in 2041, and 38 residents and business owners formed a Deliberative Panel to shape that feedback into our Vision and key pillars/themes.

Darebin 2041 Community Vision:

Darebin is an equitable, vibrant and connected community.
Darebin respects and supports First Nations People, values country, our diverse communities and places.
Darebin commits to mitigating the climate emergency, creating prosperity for current and future generations.

Our Community Vision is at the heart of our Council Plan, and all the work that flows from there – our priorities, strategic plans, investments, services, partnerships and activities. The vision is supported by three themed pillars – which form the key directions and focus of this Council Plan.

Within the Council Plan are objectives and actions to achieve the Vision our community has set, ranging from the inclusion and strengthening of diversity in our community to actions needed to create a circular economy and prevent waste.

Big action plans include:

building infrastructure for the future by redeveloping Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre, redeveloping BT Connor Pavilion in Reservoir, and building Darebin Intercultural Centre in Preston
planning infrastructure for decades to come by redeveloping Reservoir Leisure Centre, activating Edwardes Lake Boat House in Reservoir, building new kindergarten facilities, and undertaking a feasibility study for a Global Learning Hub in Preston
continuing to lead with our response to the climate emergency by updating our Climate Emergency Plan to set out how to best achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions for Darebin by 2030, offering solar installations and energy retrofits to pensioners and vulnerable communities, delivering new business and community power purchase partnerships, supporting a shift to a circular economy and massively reducing our waste going to landfill, and delivering projects and programs aimed to improve safety for people cycling, walking and wheeling, increasing active travel which will also reduce transport emissions
deepening our commitment to truth and justice for First Nations communities in partnership with the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation and Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander peoples who live and work in Darebin
supporting vulnerable members of our community by providing support with COVID-19 recovery, expanding our homelessness Assertive Outreach program, and supporting community-led programs in East Reservoir and East Preston, to achieve greater physical and mental health, and wellbeing for all Champion local business and creative industries by providing support with COVID-19 recovery, facilitating the establishment of a Darebin Chamber of Commerce, and improving the lighting and safety of our retail precincts and business activity centres
building a more inclusive community for all by supporting Darebin’s multicultural communities, reducing racism and discrimination, increasing access to our Council’s services and sporting assets by groups who are under-represented, developing our Disability Action Plan to improve access for all to our services and infrastructure, and achieving Rainbow Tick accreditation (best practice in LGBTQIA+ inclusion) for our services and activities
improving the quality of development and work to protect all that we love about Darebin by pursuing protections for Preston Market, conducting a Planning Scheme review informed by in-depth community consultation, and reviewing to amend our Parking Permit Policy
protecting our natural environment and biodiversity by improving water quality in Edwardes Lake, increasing tree canopy coverage in our parks, residential areas and retail precincts, and enhancing under-storey planting
expanding our delivery of quality universal services across the lifespan by providing more three-year-old kindergarten places, continuing to deliver our flagship Age Friendly Darebin project, expanding home care direct services, and registering to become a home care package provider.

Supporting the first year of this plan is the spending adopted as part of the Budget 2021-22.

The budget continues Council’s work in supporting the community still affected by the COVID pandemic and delivers a $3.2 million financial assistance package, including an innovative voucher program to stimulate the local economy.

The budget also delivers a $61.65 million capital works program, and provides for the community focused projects and services we know are highly valued by residents, businesses and visitors including:

22,200 immunisations
130,000 hours of aged care services and programs
the planting of 4,800 trees and 250,000 indigenous plants
maintenance of more than 56 sporting ovals and fields
repairing more than 30km of shared bike paths
the collection of 5,500,000 bins, 14,000 tonnes of green waste, and 15,000 tonnes of recycling

Download the Council Plan 2021-2025

Background document

The Darebin Health and Wellbeing Profile (the Profile) provides an overview of the health and wellbeing status of the Darebin community, and examines the factors that contribute to health and wellbeing outcomes in the municipality. The Profile informed the development of the Council Plan 2021-2025 and helps Council fulfil its legislative requirements under the Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Act (2008).

Download the Darebin Health and Wellbeing Profile

Council Plan Action Plan

The Action Plan documents the actions we are taking over the next year to meet our Council Plan targets. We will report progress against the Council Plan Action Plan quarterly, throughout the year. The Council Plan Action Plan will be updated annually, with new actions as our work towards the Council Plan priorities progresses.

Council Plan Action Plan 2022-2023