![Viv-May.jpg](/files/assets/public/v/1/council/councillors/viv-may.jpg?w=1280&h=720)
The appointment of Mr Viv May PSM as an Administrator for Wingecarribee Shire Council follows the suspension of the Councillors by Minister for Local Government Shelley Hancock on 12 March 2021.
On 1 September 2021, the NSW Government announced a Public Inquiry will be held into Wingecarribee Shire Council. The Minister for Local Government Shelley Hancock has also suspended the councillors, reappointed the interim administrator and deferred the 4 December Council election until the public inquiry was completed.
On Thursday 14 July 2022 the Minister for Local Government The Hon Wendy Tuckerman announced that she had accepted the key recommendations from the Commissioner's report.
For information about the role of an Administrator, please read the Frequently Asked Questions on this page.
Mr May also conducts Village Visits twice a year. Please see the Administrator Village Visits page for further information
Appointments with Administrator
To make an appointment with Mr May, please send details of your request to administratoroffice@wsc.nsw.gov.au
Invitations to the Administrator
Should you wish to invite Mr May to an event, either as an attendee or speaker, please send details of to administratoroffice@wsc.nsw.gov.au
Administrator Minute
Minutes tabled by the Administrator at Council meetings can be viewed below, and also as separate documents attached to the business papers.
Administrator Minute
Administrator Minute - 17 July 2024
Administrator Minute - 27 March 2024
Administrator Minute - 21 February 2024(PDF, 140KB)
Administrator Minute - 13 December 2023(PDF, 171KB)
Administrator Minute - 15 November 2023(PDF, 889KB)
Administrator Minute 2 - 20 September 2023(PDF, 264KB)
Administrator Minute 1 - 20 September 2023(PDF, 159KB)
Administrator Minute - 16 August 2023(PDF, 164KB)
Administrator Minute - 19 July 2023(PDF, 123KB)
Administrator Minute - 21 June 2023(PDF, 260KB)
Administrator Minute - 19 April 2023(PDF, 765KB)
Administrator Minute - 15 February 2023(PDF, 263KB)
Administrator Minute - 14 December 2022(PDF, 384KB)
Administrator Minute - General Managers Review(PDF, 162KB)
A Minute Community Update - 17 August 2022(PDF, 202KB)
Appointment of Director Communities and Place(PDF, 210KB)
A Minute Community Update - 20 July 2022(PDF, 152KB)
Government Gazette(PDF, 92KB)
Wingecarribee Shire Council Public Inquiry Commissioners Report(PDF, 5MB)
IA Minute Community Update - 18 May 2022(PDF, 195KB)
IA Minute Community Update - 20 April 2022(PDF, 222KB)
IA Minute Community Update - 16 March 2022(PDF, 220KB)
IA Minute Community Update - 16 February 2022(PDF, 194KB)
Notice of Public Hearings(PDF, 80KB)
IA Minute Community Update - 19 January 2022(PDF, 140KB)
IA Minute Community Update - 8 December 2021(PDF, 150KB)
IA Minute Community Update - 10 November 2021(PDF, 115KB)
IA Public Inquiry Submission - 28 October 2021(PDF, 282KB)
IA Minute Community Update - 13 October 2021(PDF, 146KB)
Postponement of Elections Notice(PDF, 570KB)
IA Minute Community Update - 8 September 2021(PDF, 121KB)
Ltr. from the Office of the Hon. Shelley Hancock MP Public Inquiry(PDF, 344KB)
Reviews and Audits Requested by Interim Administrator - 8 September 2021(PDF, 105KB)
Gazette Notice(PDF, 1MB)
IA Minute Community Update - 30 August 2021(PDF, 142KB)
Memo to IA re Appointment of the Directors(PDF, 235KB)
Memo to IA re Bushfire Review(PDF, 155KB)
IA Minute Community Update - 11 August 2021(PDF, 184KB)
Letter Minister Hancock(PDF, 479KB)
IA Minute Community Update - 28 July 2021(PDF, 176KB)
IA Minute Community Update - 14 July 2021(PDF, 131KB)
IA Minute Community Update - 23 June 2021(PDF, 164KB)
IA Minute Community Update - 9 June 2021(PDF, 260KB)
IA Minute Community Update - 20 May 2021(PDF, 189KB)
IA Minute Vale Terry Oakes-Ash OAM(PDF, 102KB)
IA Minute General Manager Appointment(PDF, 182KB)
IA Minute Community Update - 12 May 2021(PDF, 128KB)
IA Minute Community Update - 21 April 2021(PDF, 84KB)
IA Minute Community Update - 24 March 2021(PDF, 104KB)
IA Minute DSP Charges - 24 March 2021(PDF, 157KB)
IA Minute DSP Charges Motion - 24 March 2021(PDF, 148KB)
IA Minute Community Update - 17 March 2021(PDF, 59KB)
Media Releases
Information issued via media release can be viewed at media.wsc.nsw.gov.au.
Key announcements are listed below:
Frequently Asked Questions
An administrator has been appointed by the State Government under section 438M of the Local Government Act 1993 effective from 12 March 2021 for a period of three months.
Why are we in administration?
The Minister for Local Government, The Hon Shelley Hancock MP has issued a suspension order, suspending all Councillors and the Mayor, and appointed an independent Administrator as the decision-making body of Council.
How long is the administration period?
On 12 March 2021, Minister for Local Government, The Hon. Shelley Hancock suspended Wingecarribee Shire Council and appointed an Interim Administrator Mr Viv May PSM for a period of three months.
The suspension period was extended for a further three months by the Minister on 27 May 2021.
On 1 September 2021, the NSW Government announced a Public Inquiry would be held into Wingecarribee Shire Council. On 14 July 2022, the Minister for Local Government, The Hon Wendy Tuckerman, announced that she had accepted the full recommendations from the Commissioners report.
Council Administrator Mr Viv May will remain at Wingecarribee Shire Council until the local government election in September 2024.
What is the role of the Administrator?
The Administrator constitutes the Council and must perform all the functions, powers and duties of the Council. The Administrator will effectively act as the Mayor and the Councillors.
The Administrator is also responsible for the implementation of the suspension order and any performance improvement order and reports on progress to the Minister for Local Government.
Who is the Administrator?
Mr Viv May PSM has been appointed as the Shire’s Administrator.
Is the Administrator role full-time?
The Administrator is expected to commit the necessary time to effectively:
- Conduct the relevant council meetings
- Undertake the civic and ceremonial functions of the governing body
Undertake the administrative functions of the role, such as oversight of the General Manager and implementation of any performance improvement orders.
How much is the Administrator being paid and who is footing the bill?
The level of remuneration is generally based on the current level of Councillor and Mayoral fees for Wingecarribee Shire Council as set by the Local Government Remuneration Tribunal.
All remuneration and allowances are paid by Wingecarribee Shire Council.
Where will the Administrator work?
The Administrator will be provided with the office space and other support that was previously provided to the Mayor.
Will the Administrator make all the decisions relating to Council?
The Administrator will work closely with the General Manager and make all decisions that an elected Council would do.
The Administrator will consider all staff reports presented to Council and make decisions. The Administrator will also be able to bring matters to Council via Administrator Minutes.
How do residents raise concerns when there are no Councillors to represent them?
The Administrator is here for residents to contact and engage with.
The role acts as the Council and undertakes the responsibilities of the Mayor and Councillors representing the interests of residents and our communities.
If you would like to contact the Administrator, please phone 02 4868 0888 or via email AdministratorOffice@wsc.nsw.gov.au.
Please note that any correspondence marked confidential and addressed to Mr Viv May, Administrator, will only be opened by Mr May and secured to comply with statutory requirements.
Will Council meetings remain open to the public?
Yes. Under Council’s Code of Meeting Practice, all Council meetings are open to the public and are live-streamed and webcast. Due to the Public Health Orders currently in place, Council Meetings are ticketed to meet social distancing guidelines.
What about day-to-day operations of Council. Have staff been suspended too?
The suspension does not include any staff members of Council. The day-to-day running of Council and delivery of essential services will continue.
What happens to Councillors? Will they still get paid?
During the suspension period, Councillors are suspended from office and as such are not entitled to exercise the functions of civic office or receive any fee or other remuneration.
Councillors will be required to hand over any Council equipment or resources they have for the period of the suspension.
Councillors who are suspended have the same rights as any other member of the public.
What happens at the end of the administration period? Do Councillors come back? Will there be an election? Or will the administrator continue?
On the expiry of the Ministerial suspension order, the Councillors resume office and the Administrator leaves the position.
Councillors who have resigned cannot resume office within this term.
Three Councillors resigned within the current term including Councillors Markwart in mid-2020, Councillor Halstead on 9 March 2021 and Councillor Turland on 12 March 2021.
Independent Reviews
Independent Reviews
Review of Council finances:
Review of Council Finances - Final Report, Finch Consulting, April 2021(PDF, 588KB)
Review of governance, human resources, and statutory reporting:
Governance Review, Samantha Charlton, May 2021(PDF, 721KB)
Review of planning, development, and regulatory services:
Interim Report, Earnest Consulting, June 2021(PDF, 188KB)
Righting the Wrongs - Second Report, Earnest Consulting, July 2021(PDF, 207KB)
Righting the Wrongs - Final Report, Earnest Consulting, November 2021(PDF, 257KB)
Review of Council’s response to 2019/20 bushfires:
Bushfire Response and Recovery Review, Risk-e Business Consultants, 2021(PDF, 12MB)
Review of Wingecarribee Animal Shelter operations:
Animal Shelter Review Report, Earnest Consulting, July 2021(PDF, 2MB)
Review of Tourism and Economic Development expenditure:
Tourism and Economic Development Expenditure Branch Review, Finch Consulting, June 2021(PDF, 267KB)
Review of Domestic Waste Management Reserve:
Domestic Waste Management Reserve Review, Finch Consulting, September 2021(PDF, 233KB)
Review of Wombeyan Caves Road expenditure:
Wombeyan Caves Road Expenditure Review, Finch Consulting, June 2021(PDF, 232KB)
Review of purchase cards:
Purchase Card Review, Finch Consulting, June 2021(PDF, 2MB)
Small business roundtable:
Report on the Economic Development Roundtable, KPMG, July 2021(PDF, 141KB)
Review of Civic Centre refurbishment project:
Civic Centre Refurbishment Project Review, Norm Smith, 2021(PDF, 2MB)
Review of Council committees:
Community Advisory & Section 355 Committee Review - Final Report, November 2021(PDF, 638KB)
Overview
The Administrator will be visiting the following locations from July 2024 - September 2024 and will be available for one-to-one meetings. If you would like to arrange a meeting, please click on the links below to book online.
If you would like a meeting but cannot find a suitable time below, please call Jessica Kaiser on 4868 0714 or email administratoroffice@wsc.nsw.gov.au
Remaining times are below:
Council Administrator, Mr Viv May will remain at Wingecarribee Shire Council until the local government election in September 2024.
On 31 August 2021, the Minister for Local Government, the Hon Shelley Hancock MP, convened a formal Public Inquiry into Wingecarribee Shire Council.
The terms of reference for the Inquiry were to inquire and report to the Minister with respect to the following matters:
- Whether members of Council’s governing body fully understand their roles and responsibilities and have adequately, reasonably and appropriately carried out their roles and responsibilities during the current term of Council.
- Whether, during the current term of Council, there has been improper interference by the elected body of Council, or by individual councillors, in operational matters, with particular reference to staffing and planning functions.
- Whether members of Council’s governing body have been and will continue to be in a position to direct and control the affairs of Council in accordance with the Local Government Act 1993 and to otherwise fulfil its statutory obligations.
- Any other matter that warrants inquiry, particularly those that may impact on the effective administration of Council’s functions and responsibilities or the community’s confidence in the Council being able to do so.
The Minister appointed Ross Glover as Commissioner to undertake the Inquiry.
The Minister appointed Mr Viv May PSM as Interim Administrator for the period during which Council is suspended.
Click here for the press release issued by the Minister
Click here to view the NSW Government Gazette No 314 of 14 July 2022(PDF, 92KB)
Letter to the Interim Administrator from the Office of the Hon. Shelley Hancock MP Ref A787671(PDF, 344KB)
Letter to the General Manager from the Office of the Hon. Shelley Hancock MP Ref A787671(PDF, 355KB)
Shelley Hancock Media Release - Public Inquiry into Wingecarribee Shire Council(PDF, 153KB)
Statement by the Interim Administrator Regarding the Public Inquiry(PDF, 176KB)
View the Recordings from the Public Inquiry
View the Transcripts from the Public Inquiry:
To view the full Notice of Public Hearings please see below document:
Notice of Public Hearings(PDF, 80KB)
General Practice Direction for Public Hearings(PDF, 220KB)
Related Information
Independent Review Reports can be found on the Council Election Page Council Election 2024 | Wingecarribee Shire Council (nsw.gov.au)
Wingecarribee Shire Council proactive release of information - Proactive Release of Information - Public Inquiry
Useful Links