UPDATE: Four councillors have resigned from the City of Nedlands council which will prompt the state government to send in a commissioner to take over the local government.
UPDATE: Four councillors have resigned from the City of Nedlands council which will prompt the state government to send in a commissioner.
Councillors Ben Hodsdon, Hengameh Amiry and Noel Youngman today resigned from Nedlands council.
The terms for all three councillors were to end in October.
A fourth councillor, Fergus Bennett, resigned from the council this afternoon, the city confirmed in a statement to Business News.
The resignations today leaves only four councillors at City of Nedlands, which means the council has lost quorum.
"We acknowledge their service to the community and thank them for their past contributions," the city's statement read.
"As a result of these resignations, the council currently comprises the Mayor and three councillors.
"We will be working closely with the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries and the Minister for Local Government to determine the appropriate next steps."
Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley said the city had long been plagued by dysfunction and disunity, making good on the warning she made to council in May.
“I have been informed that four official resignations have now been received by the City of Nedlands, meaning the council no longer has quorum," she said.
“I am now taking immediate action to end this saga and have instructed the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety to begin the process of installing a Commissioner.
“This outcome is in the best interests of Nedlands ratepayers and will be a fresh start for the council so it can get back to delivering for its community.”
Earlier this year, Ms Beazley reportedly said she had warned the City of Nedlands and was exploring all options including dismissal and administration.
Mr Hodsdon, who has been a councillor since 2003, listed a string of issues as his reasons for resignation in his formal notification to the city.
“This decision has not been made lightly, but after careful consideration, I can no longer continue to serve in a council environment that I believe is consistently toxic and dysfunctional,” his email read.
“I understand that we have seen the majority of staff leave over the last 12 months, a failed audit and an operative work safe review because of unspecified issues.
“The constant infighting, lack of productive dialogue, bullying behaviours, weaponising the code of conduct that has been rather vexatious in nature and the unwillingness to address serious concerns have made it impossible to effectively represent the community.
“Open and transparent representation has, in my opinion, fallen short of what the community and I would like to see.
“My commitment to public service and the betterment of our community has been significantly undermined by these ongoing issues.”
Speaking to Business News, Mr Hodsdon said he had been thinking about resigning for a little while and felt that he was not being heard on council.
Mr Youngman joined council in October 2021.
Earlier today, Mr Youngman posted on his social media profile that he has notified the city of his resignation from council.
Ms Amiry, who was also elected to council in 2021, told Business News that she had been deliberating her exit for about six months.
She said she was sad to make the decision but felt she could no longer represent the Nedlands residents with her voice being ignored at council.
“I do not feel that I can carry out my duties under the [Local Government] Act with the current administration,” she said.
“It’s a culmination of multiple major issues that cannot and have not been addressed.”
Ms Amiry said there were more than three people in the council who were not satisfied with the current situation.
In January, Melanie Pollard resigned from council despite only being elected as councillor for six months.
Ms Pollard filled a vacant seat created by the resignation of Leo McManus, who resigned from council on June 1, 2024.
The City of Nedlands council is no stranger to headlines and controversy over the years.
Nedlands mayor Fiona Argyle’s stance to retain Class-A reserves in the Children’s Hospice project area has also been widely reported.
The ongoing issue between the council and state government over the state’s first children’s hospice, under construction in Swanbourne, was one of the reasons listed by Mr Hodsdon.
In his resignation notice, Mr Hodsdon criticised the inability of council to work with state government and the Perth’s Children Hospital Foundation after the council rejected the latter’s offer of $4 million to rework the land near the project site to be a nature parkland.
“What was being offered would have been a great opportunity to get a fantastic environmental and community asset for all involved with many safe guards,” he said in his resignation notice.
“This make no sense and this money could have been better spent on improving other assets in the city or progressing underground power.
“In my opinion…over the last four years the council has been more spin than substance. In my opinion, trust in the council is at an all time low.
“So enough is enough, and hence I will be leaving the building. I hope the opposition to the Children Hospice stops and we start supporting local business and community groups more constructively and cut the spin.”
