One of Sydney’s largest councils implodes amid calls for inquiry

2 days ago 4

One of Sydney’s biggest councils is imploding, with fractional of Liverpool’s councillors losing assurance successful Mayor Ned Mannoun and immoderate approaching the authorities authorities seeking a nationalist inquiry.

It follows the caller sacking of the council’s erstwhile main enforcement John Ajaka, the erstwhile president of the NSW Legislative Assembly.

Chief enforcement John Ajaka, right, was dismissed aft a bitter falling retired with Mayor Ned Mannoun, left.

Ajaka was the council’s 10th imperishable oregon acting CEO successful 8 years, prompting a root to liken the assembly to Game of Thrones – a notation to prodigious assemblage counts.

Five of Liverpool’s 10 councillors person written to the Minister for Local Government, Ron Hoenig, outlining a bid of concerns astir the council’s processes, including the relation of Mannoun successful the dismissal of Ajaka aft helium allegedly swore astatine the politician successful a fund meeting.

It alleged that astatine a fund gathering Ajaka said to Mannoun words to the effect of: “Shut the f--- up, you are ever interrupting me, halt interrupting me, I’m not sacking anyone and I’m not going anyplace – you’re not firing maine and I’m not going anywhere.”

This speech “caused the politician and lawman politician important distress and anxiousness to go acrophobic for their safety,” according to a dismissal missive sent to Ajaka connected April 29.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Liverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun opening the caller Civic Place precinct astatine Liverpool successful April.

Ajaka was sacked from the $537,000 per twelvemonth station earlier an autarkic study into the quality was completed.

Half the assembly voted against the termination and lodged a rescission motion, but wrong 4 minutes of the gathering ending, Ajaka received an email informing him he’d been sacked.

This was followed by a media release, which has since disappeared from the council’s website, announcing Ajaka’s dismissal.

Councillors told the Herald determination were concerns astir Mannoun, a Liberal, voting against a rescission question connected Ajaka’s sacking fixed the politician was progressive successful the dismissal and is undertaking a mediation process up of imaginable Supreme Court enactment by Ajaka.

The Herald understands that a mediation process betwixt the parties has not yet been successful.

“We person mislaid assurance that immoderate members of the elected assemblage are discharging their obligations to correspond the corporate interests of the residents, ratepayers and the section community,” the councillors said successful a statement.

“Due process and owed diligence were sadly lacking successful the proceedings to summarily disregard Liverpool City Council CEO Mr John Ajaka astatine the Council gathering of 26th June 2024.”

Three Labor councillors – Cr Betty Green, Cr Charishma Kaliyanda and Cr Ali Karnib – and 2 independents Cr Peter Harle and Cr Karress Rhodes signed the connection of no-confidence.

“As councillors who person voted consistently against the question to disregard the erstwhile CEO, we
continue to clasp superior concerns due to the fact that of the imaginable legal, fiscal and governance
repercussions, arsenic a nonstop effect of the actions taken by the mayor, lawman politician and three
councillors,” they said.

“Their actions person undermined the principles of procedural fairness and shaken the precise instauration of bully governance astatine Liverpool City Council.”

Mannoun said the due process was followed during the assembly meetings and the 5 councillors who expressed a deficiency of assurance successful him had simply mislaid the ballot regarding the Ajaka dismissal.

“Are they earnestly expecting the authorities authorities to clasp a nationalist enquiry each clip a radical of NSW councillors loses the vote,” Mannoun said.

“There is thing dysfunctional astir a assembly holding a due meeting, adopting a surplus fund aft years of Labor deficits, and decisions being made successful a due manner,” helium said.

“I americium perfectly assured the Minister for Local Government would not privation to ‘intervene’ to reverse a decently conducted ballot of a council.”

The Office of Local Government is completing a abstracted probe into whether determination has been a breakdown successful the council’s operations “amid ongoing reports astir dysfunction and unit matters wrong council”. That probe is owed to beryllium finalised wrong days.

“Elected officials person a work to their communities to run efficaciously and efficiently, and I’m acrophobic astir the level of dysfunction wrong Liverpool Council that is playing retired publicly,” Hoenig said erstwhile the probe was announced successful April.

Comment was sought from Liverpool Council.

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