Richmond Valley Council (RVC) is located to the south of Ballina Shire on the coast (including the towns of Broadwater, Woodburn and Evans Head, and to the south and inland of Lismore Shire (including Coraki and the major shire centre Casino). The Richmond River runs through most of the shire. Although it is around four times as large in area as Byron Shire, for example, it has a relatively small population compared to Lismore/Tweed/Ballina shires – around 70% of Byron Shire's population.
RVC has seven councillors, including a directly-elected mayor, and no wards. Five of the seven current councillors are from Mayor Robert Mustow's independent group. While Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 6-7% of the shire's population (compared to national and state averages of 2.5%), those who in the 2016 Census identified their ancestry as as Australian or Anglo-Celtic is 86% (national average was 65%).
