COUNCIL’S latest food fight has erupted over a plan to limit its dining room opening hours to one week day per week and one Saturday a month.
Lord Mayor Peter Nattrass moved the proposal, saying council could not sustain having the dining room open two days a week.
“It causes considerable inconvenience and embarrassment to have invited guests and then have to call them and cancel because there are not enough guests in the dining room on that day,” Dr Nattrass said.
Under council’s new catering regime it has to pay to feed twenty people, whether or not that number of people are there.
Dr Nattrass said this meant that, in some cases, a meal in the council dining room could cost up to $150 a head.
“The Perth City Council dining room is one of the greatest marketing tools the city has. It is something I believe should stay,” he said.
Deputy Lord Mayor Michael Sutherland said Dr Nattrass’s proposal was worth trying for a few weeks.
“We all agree the dining room situation is not working,” Mr Sutherland said.
“If it doesn’t work we can try something else. This is not one of Moses’ tablets. It’s not writ in stone.”
Councillor Laurance Goodman said the number of days the dining room was open was not the problem.
“It’s the silly arrangement and costs we’ve agreed to for running it,” Mr Goodman said.
Councillor Tess Stroud said the problem had never occurred under council’s old catering regime.
“The caterer’s rules have made running the dining room difficult,” Mrs Stroud said.
Dr Nattrass’s push angered some councillors who believed the matter should have been dealt with by council’s House Committee set up to handle such matters.
Councillor Janet Davidson tried to have the matter referred back to the committee but her move was stymied thanks to Dr Nattrass’s casting vote.
Councillor Jennifer MacGill said it was appalling that the matter had come to council at all.
“We’ve spent more time debating this than we have on planning matters of the city,” Mrs MacGill said.
