# Pittwater Council

Pittwater Council was a local government area on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It covered a region adjacent to the Tasman Sea about 30 kilometres (19 mi) north of the Sydney central business district. The area is named after Pittwater, the body of water adjacent to much of the area governed. First proclaimed in 1906 as the A Riding of Warringah Shire, the area was proclaimed as the Municipality of Pittwater on 1 May 1992. On 12 May 2016, the Minister for Local Government announced that Pittwater Council would be subsumed into the newly formed Northern Beaches Council. The last mayor of Pittwater Council was Councillor Jacqui Townsend, an independent politician.

## Suburbs and localities

Suburbs and localities serviced by Pittwater Council were:
* Akuna Bay
* Avalon Beach
* Avalon North
* Barrenjoey
* Bayview
* Bilgola Beach
* Bilgola Plateau
* Bungan Beach
* Bungan Head
* Careel Bay
* Careel Head
* Church Point
* Clareville
* Clareville Beach
* Coasters Retreat
* Currawong Beach
* Elanora Heights
* Elvina Bay
* Foleys Hill
* Great Mackerel Beach
* Ingleside
* Ingleside Heights
* Loquat Valley
* Lovett Bay
* McCarrs Creek
* Mona Vale
* Morning Bay
* Newport
* North Narrabeen
* Palm Beach
* Paradise Beach
* Salt Pan Cove
* Sand Point
* Scotland Island
* South Warriewood
* Stokes Point
* Taylors Point
* The Basin
* Towlers Bay
* Tumbledown Dick
* Turimetta
* Warriewood
* Warriewood Beach
* Whale Beach

## History

The Pittwater Shire was named after an estuary of Broken Bay which the shire surrounds. Broken Bay forms the mouth of the Hawkesbury River, the main river which formed the Cumberland Plain and Sydney basin. Pittwater was discovered in 1788, the year the first British colony was established in Australia. However, Pittwater and the surrounding region was inhabited for many millennia by local Aboriginal tribes and much evidence of their habitation remains especially their rock etchings in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park which borders Pittwater's western side. Pittwater was named in about 1800 by the colony's first governor, Arthur Phillip, honouring the then British Prime Minister, William Pitt the Younger.
Pittwater in the early 19th century was developed as a new port with loading and unloading facilities erected at what is now the current Newport public wharf. As the port developed so did local industry such as sheep at Mona Vale, orchards at southern Newport and Church Point, salt from Saltpan cove and Scotland Island. During the period from the 1950s to the early 1970s, sand mining operations were undertaken in the upper reaches of McCarr's Creek. After sand mining operations ceased, the tailings ponds were all that remained of the mining operation. Around the 1850s a school was established on the site of what is now Newport Public school. Over later periods, public (primary) schools were established at Mona Vale, Avalon and Bilgola Plateau. In 1963, Pittwater High School was opened at Mona Vale (located on Pittwater Road), Barrenjoey High School (located at the northern end of Avalon beach) was opened in 1968. During the Second World War, unlike Sydney Harbour (Port Jackson), Pittwater was not protected by a boom net. As a consequence local militia and later Australian Army were stationed at the western side of the entrance to Pittwater and were dispersed along the western shore in a network of trenches, pillboxes and gun emplacements.
Pittwater was first incorporated in 1906 when it was included as the "A Riding" of Warringah Shire Council. However for many years there existed a sentiment held by some in A Riding, the northern Riding and the largest in Warringah, taking up more than 40% of Warringah's land area, that they were being increasingly ignored and subject to what they considered inappropriate development and policies for their area. This culminated in 1991 when a non-compulsory postal poll of the residents of A Riding was taken over the question of a possible secession. This resulted in a 73.5% vote in favour of secession, however only 48.18% of residents took part in this vote. This vote was, however, 600 short of the total majority required.
The Minister for Local Government at the time, Gerry Peacocke, nevertheless announced the secession of A Riding from Warringah Council, considering that those who did not vote did not have any particular inclination to how they were governed, and thus Pittwater Council was created. On 1 May 1992, The governor of New South Wales, Rear Admiral Peter Sinclair, proclaimed the establishment of the Municipality of Pittwater, the area of which roughly followed the area formerly known as 'A' Riding of the Warringah Shire. Also on that day, the offices of Robert Dunn, Eric Green and Ronald Starr, former Warringah 'A' Riding Councillors, were terminated with those persons forming, with others, a nine-member Provisional Council of the Municipality of Pittwater. Despite the Municipality status requiring the new council members to be titled "Alderman", Pittwater obtain the permission of Minister Peacocke to continue the use of "Councillor" to refer to the members.
When the Local Government Act 1993 came into effect from 1 July 1993, the title of the council changed from the Municipality of Pittwater to simply Pittwater Council.

### Amalgamation

A 2015 review of local government boundaries by the NSW Government Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal recommended that the Pittwater Council merge with adjoining councils. The government considered two proposals. The first proposed a merger of Pittwater Council and parts of Warringah Council to form a new council with an area of 214 square kilometres (83 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 141,000. The alternative, proposed by Warringah Council on 23 February 2016, was for an amalgamation of the Pittwater, Manly and Warringah councils.
On 12 May 2016, the council was amalgamated with Manly and Warringah Councils to form the Northern Beaches Council.

## Council
### Mayors/Deputy Mayors

| Order | Mayor | Term begin | Term end | Deputy Mayors | Year |
| 1 | Eric Green | 1 May 1992 | 3 November 1992 | Allan Porter | 1992 |
| 2 | Robert Dunn | 3 November 1992 | 27 September 1993 | Allan Porter | 1992–1993 |
| 2 | Robert Dunn | 3 November 1992 | 27 September 1993 | Ron Starr | 1993–1994 |
| 3 | Ron Starr | 21 September 1994 | September 1997 | John Winter | 1994–1995 |
| 3 | Ron Starr | 21 September 1994 | September 1997 | Bob Grace | 1995–1996 |
| 3 | Ron Starr | 21 September 1994 | September 1997 | Shirley Phelps | 1996–1997 |
| 4 | Patricia Giles | September 1997 | September 2004 | Bob Dunbar | 1997–1998 |
| 4 | Patricia Giles | September 1997 | September 2004 | Julie Hegarty | 1998–1999 |
| 4 | Patricia Giles | September 1997 | September 2004 | Lynne Czinner | 1999–2002 |
| 4 | Patricia Giles | September 1997 | September 2004 | David James | 2002–2004 |
| 5 | Lynne Czinner | September 2004 | 12 September 2005 | David James | 2004–2005 |
| 6 | Alex McTaggart | 12 September 2005 | September 2007 | Patricia Giles | 2005–2009 |
| 7 | David James | September 2007 | September 2009 | Patricia Giles | 2005–2009 |
| 8 | Harvey Rose | September 2009 | September 2012 | Jacqueline Townsend | 2009–2011 |
| 8 | Harvey Rose | September 2009 | September 2012 | Ian White | 2011–2012 |
| 9 | Jacqueline Townsend | September 2012 | 12 May 2016 | Bob Grace | 2012–2013 |
| 9 | Jacqueline Townsend | September 2012 | 12 May 2016 | Kylie Ferguson | 2013–2016 |

### Final composition and election method

Pittwater Council was composed of nine councillors elected proportionally as three separate wards, each electing three councillors. All councillors were elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor and deputy mayor were elected annually by the councillors at the first meeting of the council. The last election was held on 8 September 2012, and the makeup of the council was as follows when it was dissolved:
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Notes |
| Central Ward | Sue Young | Independent | Elected 2012–2016. |
| Central Ward | Ian White | Independent | Elected 2008–2016. Elected to Northern Beaches Pittwater Ward, 2017. |
| Central Ward | Kylie Ferguson | Independent | Elected 2012–2016. Deputy Mayor 2013–2016. Elected to Northern Beaches Pittwater Ward, 2017. |
| North Ward | Bob Grace | Independent | Elected 1995–2016. Deputy Mayor 1995–1996, 2012–2013. Warringah A Riding Councillor, 1983–1985. |
| North Ward | Alex McTaggart | Independent | Elected 1999–2008, 2012–2016. Mayor 2005–2007. Elected to Northern Beaches Pittwater Ward, 2017. |
| North Ward | Selena Griffith | Greens | Elected 2012–2016. |
| South Ward | Jacqueline Townsend | Independent | Elected 2008–2016. Mayor 2012–2016 |
| South Ward | Julie Hegarty | Independent | Elected 1995–2016. Deputy Mayor 1998–1999 |
| South Ward | Kay Millar | Independent | Elected 2012–2016. |

### General managers

| Name | Term | Notes |
| Brian Hrnjak | 1 May 1992 – 1997 | |
| Angus Gordon | 1997 – September 2005 | |
| Mark Ferguson | September 2005 – 12 May 2016 | General Manager of Northern Beaches Council, 2017. |

## Demographics

At the 2011 Census, there were 57,155 people in the Pittwater local government area, of these 48.8% were male and 51.2% were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 0.4% of the population. The median age of people in the Pittwater Council area was 42 years; notably above the national median of 37 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 20.0% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 17.0% of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 56.1% were married and 11.0% were either divorced or separated.
Population growth in the Pittwater Council area between the 2001 Census and the 2006 Census was 3.40% and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 Census, population growth was 5.54%. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same periods, being 5.78% and 8.32% respectively, population growth in the Pittwater local government area was lower than the national average. The median weekly income for residents within the Pittwater Council area was higher than the national average.
At the 2011 Census, the proportion of residents in the Pittwater local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon exceeded 75% of all residents (national average was 65.2%). In excess of 57% of all residents in the Pittwater Council area nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 Census, which was slightly higher than the national average of 50.2%. Meanwhile, as at the Census date, compared to the national average, households in the Pittwater local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (10.8%) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4%); and a significantly higher proportion (88.7%) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8%).
Selected historical census data for Pittwater local government area :
| Census year | Census year | Census year | 2001 | 2006 | 2011 |
| Population | Population | Estimated residents on Census night | 52,376 | 54,157 | 57,155 |
| Population | Population | LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales | | | |
| Population | Population | % of New South Wales population | | | 0.83% |
| Population | Population | % of Australian population | 0.28% | 0.27% | 0.27% |
| Cultural and language diversity | Cultural and language diversity | Cultural and language diversity | | | |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Australian | | | 26.7% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | English | | | 32.0% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Irish | | | 8.7% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Scottish | | | 7.8% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | German | | | 3.0% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | German | 0.8% | 0.9% | 1.0% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Italian | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.7% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Serbian | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.5% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Spanish | n/c | 0.8% | 0.5% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Croatian | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Religious affiliation | Religious affiliation | Religious affiliation | | | |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Catholic | 22.4% | 23.2% | 23.9% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Anglican | 29.5% | 27.3% | 26.1% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | No religion | 17.5% | 20.8% | 25.3% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Uniting Church | 5.1% | 4.7% | 4.2% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Presbyterian and Reformed | 3.6% | 3.1% | 2.8% |
| Median weekly incomes | Median weekly incomes | Median weekly incomes | | | |
| Personal income | Personal income | Median weekly personal income | | A$653 | A$754 |
| Personal income | Personal income | % of Australian median income | | 140.1% | 130.7% |
| Family income | Family income | Median weekly family income | | A$1,486 | A$2,137 |
| Family income | Family income | % of Australian median income | | 144.7% | 144.3% |
| Household income | Household income | Median weekly household income | | A$1,767 | A$1,819 |
| Household income | Household income | % of Australian median income | | 150.9% | 147.4% |

## Council seal

The seal of Pittwater Council was the result of a design competition held by the council that was won by retired Newport commercial artist Hugh Seelenmeyer. It was first used in the Manly Daily on 29 June 1991 and featured a mangrove tree surrounded by water, representing the close relationship of the area with water and bushland.

## Sister cities

Pittwater Council's suburb Mona Vale is sister city to the United States village of Wilmette, Illinois and they participate in an annual student exchange program between their high schools. Pittwater and Wilmette are both home to a Bahá'í House of Worship.