A reader of The Beagle has received the following official advice from Council in regards to the legality of the Hunt Fest licensing procedures. Council writes (Letter dated April 6th, 2017): "At the Ordinary meeting of Council held on 14 October 2014, Council resolved that: 'A procedure be developed to satisfy the Crown Lands Divisions' requirements regarding fairness and transparency in consenting to licences for terms in excess of twelve months.' A Code of Practice for the granting of licences for activities conducted within Council controlled public reserves and associated buildings was developed. Council received written confirmation from the Crown Lands Department which agreed the process proposed by Council met its criteria in relation to the ICAC guidelines. The Code of Practice includes an Expression of Interest (E0I) process, however, if conflicting EOIs are received a selective tender process is undertaken. Nothing precludes Council using this process to determine the successful E01 applicant and in applying the process, Council has not breached any Act." Beagle readers following this issue might like to now make their own comments below.
