The City of Launceston is set to revamp its council committee system, with elected members voting to disband several existing committees in preparation for a more streamlined approach to local governance.
The decision, made at Thursday’s Council Meeting, marks what Mayor Matthew Garwood describes as “a natural point of transition and opportunity” for the northern Tasmanian city.
“This is about building on the strong foundations of our past committees and ensuring the next iteration is fit-for-purpose, inclusive, and focused on delivering great outcomes for our community,” Mayor Garwood said.
The council will now work to reshape committee structures to better align with evolving priorities and strategic objectives.
Councillor Alan Harris said the review was necessary to ensure committees remained relevant and effective.
“As local government evolves, it’s important we remain agile and review the way we’re doing things to best meet our strategic objectives,” Harris said.
“Over time some of our committees have gained relevance, and others have become less relevant and reached the end of their lifespan.”
The realignment comes as part of a broader commitment to modernise council operations and improve community engagement, according to officials.
Harris suggested that while some committees would be discontinued, their focus areas might be reborn in new forms.
“I think in the future we’ll see the work of past committees reborn into new strategic efforts, whether that’s in transport, sister city relations or urban greening,” he said.
Councillor Tim Walker said the changes would strengthen Launceston’s governance framework.
“We will have a more robust system that reflects and aligns with our strategic planning with more relevancy and vigour than perhaps we’ve seen in the past,” Walker said.
