Newsletter - May 2025

Contents

Items that we hope you will find of interest include: -

NPSP Budget 2025-26

The Council recently released the draft 2025-26 Annual Business Plan and Budget for public consultation. Submissions are due by Friday 30th May.

A public meeting where residents can give their views direct to the Councillors is to be held in the Council Chambers at the Norwood Town Hall next Monday 26th May at 7pm.

The details of the budget and the consultation process can be found on the Draft 2025–2026 Annual Business Plan on the NPSP Website.

SPRA is urging all residents to have a look at the draft and make submissions.
You are also urged to attend the meeting and make your voice heard.

The Association will be making both verbal and written submissions. You can see the draft written submission on the SPRA website at Budget 2025-2026 Response

SPRA has, in recent years, repeatedly expressed strong concerns at the financial position of the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters, particularly in relation to decisions made regarding the Payneham Memorial Swimming Centre (PMSC).

We have again stated our concern at Council’s debt position and the resultant effect on ratepayers due to the high level of rates levied to fund Council borrowings.

The average Residential Rate increase this year will be a substantial 9.49 and this follows the 7.44% last year. In many cases the rates will be higher due to property re-valuations and other factors and could be as much as the maximum of 17.0%.

The average Residential Rate increase is over three times the 3.0% CPI.

This is a significant and unacceptable difference, particularly when the community is facing a cost of living crisis.

A comparison of the NPSP Residential Rate to other metropolitan Adelaide Councils shows the excessive rates being levied by our Council, clearly illustrating that it has failed in its financial diligence and responsibility to ratepayers. Our neighbouring Councils propose Residential Rates of – Burnside 6.9%, Campbeltown 2.5% and Walkerville 3.2%
See The Advertiser’ 19 May 2025

SPRA again urges residents to have their say on the budget and to attend the Public Meeting next Monday.

40km/h Speed Zones

Residents in the suburbs of Hackney, College Park, St Peters, Joslin, Royston Park and Marden will shortly begin to see new 40km/h speed signs being erected to indicate changed speed limits in the residential streets. These new limits were recently approved by the State Government on the request of Council.

These speed limits have been in effect in Stepney, Maylands Evandale and Norwood for the last few years.

For more information see the 40km/h Speed Limit Implementation page on the NPSP Website.

Successful NPSP Community Funding Grant

In the recent round of NPSP Community Funding SPRA was successful in obtaining an almost $2500 grant for the purchase of a new portable PA system to be used for SPRA public meetings and other community events.

For some time SPRA has needed a suitable PA system for events as we often have an older audience who benefit from the amplification for talks, seminars, and public meetings, and to enhance the poor acoustics of the St Peters Banquet Hall.

For recent events we have hired an external hired sound system at a cost of up to $350.00. We have also at times relied on a small, borrowed unit that is underpowered for the size of the Banquet Hall.

In the grant application SPRA also undertook to make the system available at no cost to local not-for-profit groups, such as other resident associations, church groups, and service clubs.

SPRA thanks the NPSP Council for providing the funding for this community asset.

Town Hall Candidate Forum

The St Peters Residents Association, in conjunction with the Residents Associations of Norwood, Kent Town and Kensington, and the Maylands Evandale Stepney Community Network Group, held a very successful Town Hall Candidates Forum in the leadup to the recent Federal Election for the voters in the seat of Sturt.

The Forum in the St Peters Banquet Hall was a great success, being attended by about 200 mostly local residents.

The main candidates, Verity Cooper (Independent), Claire Clutterham(Labor), Katie McCusker(Greens) and James Stevens(Liberal) were allowed time to canvas the local issues and give their vision for the electorate. They then took questions from the floor.

SPRA congratulates Claire Clutterham on her election to the Federal Parliament as our local member and we wish her well in her new role. No doubt during Claire’s term there will be issues that we will ask her to take up on our community’s behalf.

Claire’s election to Federal Parliament also means that there will shortly be a supplementary election for her position on the NPSP Council. If any residents are thinking of nominating then they might like to have a confidential chat with SPRA President Mathew Pole (info@stpeters.asn.au).

SPRA 2025 Annual General Meeting

The AGM of the Association was held prior to the Candidates Forum.

David Cree, the outgoing President, gave a brief report of the activities over the past year which will be available on the SPRA website, together with the AGM minutes.

The following committee was elected.

President Mathew Pole
Vice President David Cree
Secretary and Public Officer Joan Sedsman
Treasurer / Membership Officer Anne Bowmen
Committee Members Paul Ensor, Cat Williams, Angus Redford, Marysia Marchant, Evonne Moore and Hamish MacLeod.

There remain two vacant positions on the committee. Are you interested?
If so, please email Mathew, info@stpeters.asn.au

Cr Kester Moorhouse - Letter to the Editor

Congratulations to Claire Clutterham on her election to Federal Parliament, as the member for Sturt! It has been an honour to work alongside her as a fellow councillor representing St Peters Ward and I look forward to seeing her continue to deliver for our community, including by following through on the commitment to support a new public park at the former CSIRO site in Kent Town. Claire’s election to the House of Representatives will automatically trigger a by-election in St Peters Ward to elect a replacement councillor who will serve until her term ends in November 2026.

If any SPRA members or supporters are interested in nominating for the by-election and would like some first-hand advice and information on what is involved in being a councillor, then please feel free to contact me on 0402655101 or at kmoorhouse@electedmembers.npsp.sa.gov.au

Facebook Page

SPRA now has a Facebook page where some matters will be posted and where you can leave comments on items that have been posted.

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