Community Engagement Strategy 2024-2028 & Community Participation Plan

Encouraging and promoting an actively engaged community is essential to creating the Singleton people want now, as well as into the future, based on truly collaborative decision-making that reflects a shared vision and desires.

Recognising the diversity of knowledge, experiences and views of our residents, businesspeople, investors and visitors, we can all play an important role in shaping the ongoing evolution of our local government area as sustainable, resilient and perhaps most importantly, connected.

The Singleton Community Engagement Strategy, sets the framework for the engagement function of Singleton Council, outlining our proactive approach to ensuring all stakeholders can have meaningful involvement that is inclusive, respectful, relevant, and timely.

Based on social justice principles – equity, access, participation and rights – it makes Council accountable for designing and implementing community engagement activities that are inclusive, respectful, relevant, and timely.

It is our commitment that people know what they can expect from us and most of all, that we can be trusted to keep them informed, seek their views and listen to their feedback.

Council must comply with a number of legislative requirements that set out when and how community consultation must occur. Section 402(4) of the Local Government Act 1993 requires councils to establish and implement a Community Engagement Strategy, based on social justice principles, for engagement with the local community when developing the Community Strategic Plan.

The Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 requires councils to outline how and when the community will be engaged in planning functions such as strategic planning, policy development and development assessment. In 2026, the NSW Government introduced a Statewide Community Participation Plan which establishes minimum community participation requirements for planning matters across New South Wales. Where applicable, the Statewide Community Participation Plan prevails over the Singleton Community Participation Plan, found within the Singleton Community Engagement Strategy.

The Singleton Community Engagement Strategy has been developed in accordance with these legislative requirements and continues to guide Council's broader approach to community engagement, while community participation in planning matters is undertaken in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Statewide Community Participation Plan.

Click here to download the Singleton Community Engagement Strategy

Click here to view the NSW Statewide Community Participation Plan