The City of Greater Bendigo’s January Council meeting will be held at The Capital theatre in the Bendigo Bank Theatre, due to recent flooding to the Bendigo Town Hall.
A public gallery can still be accommodated.
Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf said the storm event on January 2 saw water enter the Council Chamber via a light fitting.
“That rain event caused damage to the Council Chamber and also meeting rooms on the ground floor directly below. The repair process is underway but will not be fixed in time for the January Council meeting,” Cr Metcalf said.
The next Council meeting will also see the City return to taking questions without notice, however people are still encouraged to register their questions to ensure they can receive an answer at the meeting.
Where a question cannot be answered at the meeting, a response will be sent directly to the person that asked the question, rather than having the answer read out at the following meeting.
People no longer need to register or show identification when they attend a Council meeting, however registration is still encouraged to ensure there is enough space for everyone.
A six-month trial was introduced in July 2023 that required anyone wanting to sit in the public gallery to show identification on entry and to submit a question for Question Time by 4pm on the Friday before the scheduled monthly meetings.
These changes were introduced in an effort to keep meetings open, accessible and safe to the community, during a time when some councils were experiencing regular disruptions to their meetings.
“Council is confident public Question Time can return to normal procedures but there will always be an option to change our procedures if there is a risk that meetings cannot safely and respectfully take place.”
The next Council meeting will be held on Monday January 29 and livestreamed via the City’s website and broadcast on Phoenix FM 106.7.
To pre-register a question or register to attend a Council meeting, visit: