Let’s talk community consultation. Are Council staff doing as much of this as they should? Seems there’s a backlash from folk who think they are not, especially in two key areas; the trial SEP in downtown Byron and the Council-owned carpark development at 57 Station St Mullumbimby.
We people of Byron Shire are no strangers to community consultation. And we certainly know when it hasn’t taken place. We have public meetings, write letters and we march. We use social media to reach a wide audience and we bore the pants off our contacts and friends.
What follows is a community-led groundswell. People start hearing about a trial for extended hours of alcohol and loud music in the wee hours of the morning in Byron township. They hear about the 17 reasons why the Council-planned development of the public land at the gateway to Mullumbimby is a very bad idea. How come they didn’t know about these?
We all know that with good community consultation we are informed and are listened to, and our concerns will be taken into account when the decisions are finally made. Most of us know it doesn’t mean we will get everything we want. Even going to court can’t guarantee that. But when we are respectfully informed and listened to, we can often accept the result if it is based on what we consider to be good reasons and our deepest concerns have been addressed.
So Council staff, let’s have a bit more ‘inform and listen’ in the first place. Yeah it takes time but so does mopping up the damage for not doing it.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
