Newcastle's independent councillors will boycott a planning workshop at a luxury Port Stephens resort this weekend, arguing it is a waste of ratepayers' money.
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John Church, Kath Elliott, Andrea Rufo and Allan Robinson issued a media statement on Monday calling for the session, which includes overnight accommodation at the Anchorage resort in Corlette, to be scrapped or moved inside the Newcastle local government area.
The Anchorage, which is owned by the Wests Group, describes itself as "Hamptons-chic luxury".
A council spokesperson said the hotel rooms would cost $299 for each of the 13 councillors and six staff due to attend. The workshop, excluding dinner, would cost another $3200 in total.
Cr Elliott said the session could be held over two days in Newcastle, saving the expense of a Friday dinner and hotel rooms.
She said the council had spent tens of millions of dollars on its new offices in Newcastle West and on restoring City Hall, both of which would be free and more suitable for the workshop.
Apparently that expensive fitout is not good enough for a strategy session.
- Cr Kath Elliott
"Apparently that expensive fitout is not good enough for a strategy session," she said of the new office building.
The council held a similar overnight get-together in February last year at Shoal Bay Country Club.
That weekend was marred when the words "John Church f---wit" appeared on a screen in front of councillors at the start of the Saturday morning session.
Cr Church, who had criticised the $10,000 cost of the workshop in a Newcastle Herald report that day, called unsuccessfully for an investigation into the incident.
Neither Cr Church nor Cr Elliott stayed overnight at last year's workshop.
The annual event is intended to help councillors set budget priorities for the coming year, but Cr Church said in Monday's statement that many recommendations from last year had not been implemented.
"The top priority last year was to address the neglect of our ocean baths," he said.
"Twelve months on and the lord mayor and her Labor colleagues have done nothing except put out an expression of interest for the Newcastle Ocean Baths that has been widely ridiculed and opposed."
The independents will make what they see as council "indulgence" a cornerstone of their campaign leading up to the September local government elections.
Cr Rufo said he was disappointed the workshop was outside Newcastle, and Cr Robinson said a "culture of excess" had become the norm at the council.
The council spokesperson said the cost of the accommodation would come from the councillor professional development budget, which was a "compulsory component of a councillor's role as determined by the Office of Local Government".
The spokesperson said City of Newcastle, "like many other local councils and similar-sized organisations, has identified that, in order to maximise collaboration and focus, an annual strategic workshop is best staged over two days and away from the workplace".
"Otherwise, work and family commitments can prevent councillors from attending both days.
"Feedback from all councillors who attended last year's workshop was that the outcomes were positive, and the workshop led directly to the development of a number of key projects and initiatives that the organisation has been progressing."
This weekend's workshop will include briefings from Newcastle Airport and Venues NSW which Port Stephens councillors have been invited to attend.
Cr Nelmes said the council had made "restoring trust and collaborative leadership" a priority in the past five years and that "taking the time to collaborate and work together is vital to our future success as a city".
Deputy lord mayor Declan Clausen said Cr Church and Cr Elliott's stance was "nothing more than a cheap, rinse-and-repeat PR stunt".
"A challenge for Elliott and Church in 2020: Turn up and engage in the real issues or hand back your salaries, because, to date, you've been MIA," he said.
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