“We need them to act.”

Were the words of ‘No MidCoast Council Move to Masters’ group which staged a protest outside of MidCoast Council’s Taree office on Wednesday, December 19 at 1pm.

The group organised the rally to coincide with council’s final ordinary meeting for 2018 with the hope that the councillors would hear their cries.

Around 80 people joined in the peaceful protest which was about council’s decision to amalgamate its Forster and Taree offices into one head office in the former Masters building on Biripi Way, Taree.

One of the event organisers, Katrina Stanfield expressed that the overall view of the group was that they didn’t feel listened to by the councillors.

“They are our representatives,” Katrina said. “They need to listen to us.”

Among the complaints about council’s handling of the decision to purchase, and now renovate, the Masters site for the new head office, is council’s lack of community consultation.

The group believes the community hasn’t be given enough information about the costs and what it will mean if the renovations blow out of projected costing.

“Who is going to pay for,” one protester said.”The ratepayers?”

Lack of information about the project is also a complaint echoed by Councillor Peter Epov, who came out of the council office to see the protest.

“I have concern about the cost,” Cr Epov said. “I need more information.”

He explained how council will be making the final decision about the move at the first ordinary meeting in the new year on Wednesday, February 6 at 2pm in the Forster office.    

Cr Epov said he hopes his fellow councillors will listen to the protesters, a message echoed by the protesters, who believe that council should be asking the community how they feel about the move, but ultimately they want council to stop the process.

“We are asking council to halt the decision until the end of March, after the State election,” Katrina said.

Some of the group continued their protest by taking their signs into the council meeting which began at 2pm.