City of Canning councillors will attend a special council meeting tonight to discuss the city’s response to the State Government’s Perth Transport Plan.
The meeting comes after extraordinary scenes at last week’s council meeting that left them without one.
The PTP is a transport plan for Perth that considers how transport needs of the population at 3.5 million will be provided for. It is open for public comment until Friday.
At their October 18 meeting councillors discussed the city’s proposed submission to the plan compiled by consultancy firm Jacobs.
Councillors agreed to strengthen the wording of the submission but they raised several concerns with it including how ‘politically charged’ it was.
Councillor Christine Cunningham said she was ‘horrified’ by it and there should have been more consultation.
She said she was against the city supporting the Roe Highway extension.
“I’m appalled we are going to be a part of approving this political hot potato,” she said.
Councillor Ben Kunze urged the city to take a stance on the Roe 8 project.
When it came to voting to submit the document only councillors Kunze, Patrick Hall, Pauline Tarrant and mayor Paul Ng voted in favour.
The vote meant city officers did not have the authority to send a submission to the State Government about the PTP.
Councillors then voted to suspend standing orders to discuss what had happened and why it was important to send in a submission.
Chief executive Arthur Kyron said he had joined local government in 1997 and it was highly unusual to have a discussion after a matter had been voted on but they were within legal framework.
“Rest assured councillors you won’t be arrested,” he said.
After the meeting Mr Ng said it was important to provide a submission to the plan.
“The initiatives and recommendations within the plan will potentially have far reaching implications for the effectiveness and efficiency of public and private transport within the greater Perth metropolitan region,” he said.
“A submission to the State Government will show the city’s support for the plan whilst highlighting the initiatives the City of Canning considers detrimental to its community and the broader region.
“The submission also enables the city to emphasise elements that are consistent with the city’s own transport planning objectives.
“Our concern was also that the state plan was too CBD centric and ignored centres such as Cannington which is identified as a strategic metropolitan centre by the state government.
“If the City of Canning did not submit a response we would have no voice.”
When asked to respond to Ms Cunningham’s comments that the submission was politically charged Mr Ng said councillors were entitled to their opinion.
The special council meeting will be held at the council chambers at 6pm tonight.
