Council Plan and Community Vision

The Council Plan is a comprehensive overview of Council's values, commitments, and activities. It includes clear goals and objectives against which Council and its administration measure its performance. 

Every 4 years Council prepares a Council Plan after the election of a new Council.

Council Plan 2025-29

The Council Plan 2025-29 was adopted at the 10 September Council meeting.

The final plan will be uploaded to this page shortly.

Council Plan 2021 - 2025

  • The Council Plan 2021 -2025 (PDF 2Mb) is the first to be delivered under the new Local Government Act 2020. The Council Plan includes the Merri-bek Community Vision, which was developed by an Imagine Merri-bek Community Panel through deliberative engagement.

     

  • Yearly Council Action Plans support the implementation of the delivery of the Council Plan 2021-2025. All actions documented in our Council Action Plans are planned in an integrated manner and resourced through our annual budgeting cycle.

  • This is our vision

    “Merri-bek is our home. We respect and look after our land, air, waterways and animals. We care for our people and celebrate our diverse stories, cultures and identities.

    “Merri-bek is enhanced by all of us supporting our local businesses, arts communities and social organisations.

    “We work together proactively and transparently to continue to create a:

    • vibrant
    • safe
    • healthy
    • resilient
    • innovative
    • regenerative community.

    “Many faces, one Merri-bek.”

    How we heard from you

    First, we spoke to you through:

    • pop-up events
    • focus groups
    • online conversations
    • interviews
    • questionnaires you returned to us.

    We received 3,227 contributions from over 2,000 Merri-bek citizens. Plus, we heard from 150 stakeholder groups.

    Then we sent 30,000 invitations to random households across Merri-bek. We invited people to tell us if they wanted to take part in a community panel.

    From those who volunteered, we randomly selected 44 people. They were young and old, and from different backgrounds, like people in Merri-bek. The people on the panel reflected Merri-bek’s diversity.

    This panel met several times. They met face to face and online. They learned about the hopes the community had for the future. These hopes were what you told us earlier in the year at our events and other activities.

    They also spoke to experts about key local issues. These included:

    • health
    • recovering from the pandemic
    • climate
    • open space
    • planning
    • transport.

    Using this information, the panel members worked together to develop a community vision. The vision is used as a guide to write important documents such as the council plan.

    The council plan says how we will work towards achieving the new community vision.

    Merri-bek Community Vision 2021 - 2031

    You can read our Merri-bek Community Vision 2021 -2031 (PDF 1.2MB) (PDF 1Mb) to get more information about our Community Vision.