Michelle Daw, Yorke Peninsula Country Times

Barunga West Council has decided to retain its current structure and not reintroduce wards, following a review of its representation of residents.

Elected members voted at the council’s monthly meeting on April 8 to maintain the current structure of eight councillors and a mayor, without wards.

They also voted for future mayors to be directly elected by the community, rather than by their peers as is currently the case.

BWC has been one of the few councils in South Australia where the mayor was elected internally.

The change to the election of the mayor will now be submitted to the Electoral Commissioner for final approval.

If approved, it will take effect from the next local government elections, scheduled for 2026.

Under updates to Section 51 of the Local Government Act, councils must now have a mayor elected directly by the community.

A BWC spokesperson said the overall number of elected members would remain the same at nine.

Mayor Leonie Kerley and Deputy Mayor Peter Button were first elected to their roles by fellow councillors in November 2018, following that year’s local government elections, which are held every four years.

The roles have previously had two-year terms, with their most recent reappointment in November 2024 extending until the 2026 election.

Public consultation on council’s representation, held between February 18 and March 14, addressed the issues of wards, the number of elected representatives, and the method of electing the mayor.

A review of council’s representation, tabled at the April 8 meeting, reported that only four public submissions were received — all supporting the reintroduction of wards.

One respondent commented: “When I read council minutes, I realise that on occasions, councillors are not aware of certain local issues that are a concern to ratepayers in other districts.”

Another said: “The ratepayers deserve better than the current centralised system in one town.”

A respondent from Bute proposed that, if wards were not reinstated, there should be a structured working group comprising council and Bute representatives to focus on local projects and issues.

The review noted that 25 of South Australia’s 49 regional councils, and two of its 19 metropolitan councils, operated without wards.

One benefit of the no-ward system cited was that the council area could be perceived as a strong and united entity, with a focus on the community as a whole.

The only public respondent who addressed the direct election of the mayor supported the change, stating: “Many of the people I speak with have questioned, for years, why the councillors have voted on the position of mayor and not the ratepayers.

“It is a positive step forward to involve all our ratepayers to vote on the representation of the leader of our local council, for the position of mayor.” 

This article appeared in Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 23 April 2025.