A wide ranging COVID-19 recovery support package was unanimously endorsed by City of Stonnington Councillors at their meeting yesterday.
The program will be supported by two advisory groups comprising experienced community and business leaders who will lend local expertise to the recovery of their community.
The Melbourne city of Stonnington includes a number of high profile fashion shopping precincts including Chapel Street and High Street, Armadale.
City of Stonnington Mayor Councillor Steve Stefanopoulos said the package will support Stonnington’s community on multiple fronts, guided by the best advice from community leaders.
“COVID-19 has caused major disruptions to people’s lives and businesses in our community, and Council has been working urgently to address both community and business impacts,” he said.
“Stonnington’s businesses and residents have shown incredible resilience and adaptability in how they responded. We are blessed to have a diverse range of business and community leaders, and we plan to harness their considerable knowledge, skills, passion and experience to shape our recovery.
“Our role is to facilitate a community led recovery that asks people for their ideas, connects local agency networks, builds local capacity, supports our existing businesses and attracts new investment.
“We’ve formed two key committees to tap into community leaders, advocates and stakeholders to do this – a Community Recovery Committee and an Economic Recovery Committee.
“As we move out of the response period and into recovery, these two groups will work with Councillors and our executive team to make smart decisions with long term benefits for people who live and work in Stonnington,” he said..
City of Stonnington CEO Jacqui Weatherill said work on forming these committees has been underway for some time.
“Before the Victorian Government began easing restrictions we had been thinking about how we best support our community to recover from COVID-19.
“These two groups will provide oversight and direction for how we do this, offering input and guidance on new or reviewed programs, investment, grant streams, campaigns, partnerships and advocacy.
“In the coming weeks we will announce local appointees to these committees, including a Chair for each,” she said. .