18 December 2020
Christmas in the Gardens a success
It was a pleasure to host our COVID-safe Christmas in the Gardens event at the Auburn Botanic Gardens and witness families experience some Christmas cheer.
The event reached capacity very quickly so it’s good to see the Christmas spirit is alive and well in Cumberland.
My family and I had a fantastic time, and it was a pleasure meeting you all and hearing about all the fun things you were getting up to with loved ones.
It’s been a big year so I hope you enjoy this special time. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Stay safe and have fun, we’ll see you in 2021.


Pursuit of Excellence Awards
Cumberland City Council have been running the Pursuit of Excellence Awards for many years. These awards recognise students within our Cumberland City Local Government Area who demonstrate their commitment to learning, the way in which they support their peers and how they apply themselves to the best of their ability.
This year in particular has proven how truly determined our local students are with a number of students nominated for assisting others with online learning, as well as student volunteering to assist others in dealing with the pandemic.
It has been terrific to visit a number of schools in our community and present these awards.

Supporting local business
Local businesses are the cornerstone of our community and we want to see them succeed. This week I had the pleasure of catching up with Hanine from El Farouge Chicken in Guildford, where we discussed business during the pandemic and our current state of recovery, as well as the future direction of the Guildford area. Watch this space for more updates.

DAs available online
From 31 December 2020, anyone lodging a development application will be required to upload their application electronically through the Planning Portal that is managed by the NSW Government.
As a result of these changes, applications can no longer be submitted to Council over the counter or by email.
Further information on how to lodge applications on the portal is available on: www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au
For submissions on current development applications visit: www.cumberland.nsw.gov.au/development-applications-currently-advertised
To check the status of specific developments visit: www.cumberland.nsw.gov.au/development-application-tracking
If you have any issues you’d like me to help you with, please contact me by:
- phone 0419 651 187 or
- email steve.christou@cumberland.nsw.gov.au