Byron Greens members could expect to be asked to take the future of the Richmond River further south into account when choosing a candidate for next year’s state election.

At its last meeting, Ballina Shire Council narrowly decided to leave the door open for future urban development on several large areas of land between Lennox Head and Tintenbar. The contentious sites are North Kinvara (CURA B), CURA C and West Lennox Palms.

Ballina Shire Council's first meeting of the year covered a lot of ground, with Cr Kiri Dicker making a number of memorable contributions.

Ballina Shire Council's final meeting for 2025 covered a lot of ground.

Ballina Crs Kiri Dicker and Simon Chate have defended Ballina Council's proposed rate rises, which have been championed by Mayor Sharon Cadwallader and others, in the face of recent criticism from former B Ward Cr Jeff Johnson.

There were some positive outcomes from Ballina Shire Council's latest meeting, with a new partnership endorsed with the Jali Aboriginal Land Council, majority approval of a motion to oppose the NSW government's environmental planning and assessment reforms, support for a new community preschool next to the fire station in Lennox Head, and new impetus towards phasing out 4WDs on Seven Mile Beach, with a 50 per cent increase in vehicles on the beach in the last three years.

Ballina Shire Council's Cr Kiri Dicker will move a motion in tomorrow's meeting to oppose the state government's proposed reforms to the environmental planning and assessment act.

September's Ballina Shire Council meeting was dominated by a mayoral minute about the future of Wardell, approved delegates for the Local Government NSW Conference, revisited the saga of 26 Endeavour Close, discussed funding arrangements for local libraries and ended with a farewell to Ballina's long-serving civil services manager John Truman.

Ballina Shire Council's conservative majority got its way with several contentious issues at its last meeting.

At its last meeting, Ballina Shire Council adopted the new streetscape master plan for Newrybar, decided ratepayers should pay for councillors' alcoholic beverages at Council events, and endorsed the independent review into the DA processing system. Council also agreed to move and upgrade Ballina's SES building, which will destroy a number of significant trees.