# Lane Cove Council

The Lane Cove Council is a local government area located on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The administrative seat of Lane Cove is located 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north-west of the Sydney central business district.
The Council comprises an area of 11 square kilometres (4.2 sq mi), and as at the 2021 census had an estimated population of 39,438.
The mayor of Lane Cove Council since 10 October 2024 is Councillor Merri Southwood, an independent candidate.

## Location

On the western and southern borders is the Lane Cove River with the Ryde and Hunter's Hill, across the river on the western and southern banks respectively. To the north is the Willoughby and to the east is North Sydney.

## Suburbs and localities in the local government area

Suburbs in the Municipality of Lane Cove are:
* Greenwich
* Lane Cove
* Lane Cove North (shared with Willoughby)
* Lane Cove West
* Linley Point
* Longueville
* Northwood
* Riverview
* St Leonards (shared with Willoughby and North Sydney)
Localities in the municipality are:
* Blaxlands Corner
* Gore Hill
* Palm Gardens
* Osborne Park

## Demographics

At the 2016 census there were 36,051 people in the Lane Cove local government area, of these 49.2 per cent were male and 50.2 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 0.3 per cent of the population; significantly below the NSW and Australian averages of 2.9 and 2.8 per cent respectively. The median age of people in the Municipality of Lane Cove was 36 years; slightly lower than the national median of 38 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 18.5 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 13.7 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 51.8 per cent were married and 10.4 per cent were either divorced or separated.
Population growth in the Municipality of Lane Cove between the 2001 census and the 2006 census was 0.29 per cent; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 census, population growth was 3.44 per cent. At the 2016 census, the population in the Municipality increased by 14.41 per cent. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same period, being 8.8 per cent, population growth in the Lane Cove local government area was significantly higher than the national average. The median weekly income for residents within the Municipality of Lane Cove was significantly higher than the national average.
Selected historical census data for Lane Cove local government area :
| Census year | Census year | Census year | 2001 | 2006 | 2011 | 2016 |
| Population | Population | Estimated residents on census night | 30,340 | 30,427 | 31,510 | 36,051 |
| Population | Population | LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales | | | 58th | 56th |
| Population | Population | % of New South Wales population | | | 0.81% | 0.48% |
| Population | Population | % of Australian population | 0.27% | 0.26% | 0.26% | 0.15% |
| Population | Population | Estimated ATSI population on census night | 72 | 62 | 79 | 118 |
| Population | Population | % of ATSI population to residents | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Cultural and language diversity | Cultural and language diversity | Cultural and language diversity | | | | |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | English | | | 23.7% | 22.6% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Australian | | | 21.2% | 18.3% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Irish | | | 9.9% | 9.6% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Chinese | | | 6.5% | 8.3% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Scottish | | | 7.0% | 6.7% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Mandarin | 1.6% | 2.3% | 2.9% | 4.7% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Cantonese | 3.1% | 3.1% | 3.1% | 3.1% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Spanish | n/c | n/c | 1.1% | 1.3% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Japanese | 0.9% | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.2% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Persian (excluding Dari) | n/c | n/c | n/c | 1.2% |
| Religious affiliation | Religious affiliation | Religious affiliation | | | | |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | No religion, so described | 17.1% | 19.5% | 24.8% | 32.0% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Catholic | 29.4% | 29.4% | 29.6% | 26.9% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Anglican | 20.7% | 19.3% | 17.5% | 13.0% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Not stated | n/c | n/c | n/c | 8.4% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Buddhism | n/c | n/c | 2.6% | 3.1% |
| Median weekly incomes | Median weekly incomes | Median weekly incomes | | | | |
| Personal income | Personal income | Median weekly personal income | | A$811 | A$970 | A$1,149 |
| Personal income | Personal income | % of Australian median income | | 174.0% | 168.1% | 173.6% |
| Family income | Family income | Median weekly family income | | A$1,729 | A$2,637 | A$2,971 |
| Family income | Family income | % of Australian median income | | 168.4% | 178.1% | 171.3% |
| Household income | Household income | Median weekly household income | | A$2,295 | A$2,181 | A$2,376 |
| Household income | Household income | % of Australian median income | | 196.0% | 176.7% | 165.2% |
| Dwelling structure | Dwelling structure | Dwelling structure | | | | |
| Dwelling type | Dwelling type | Separate house | 48.9% | 49.8% | 49.8% | 42.3% |
| Dwelling type | Dwelling type | Semi-detached, terrace or townhouse | 6.1% | 5.4% | 6.0% | 5.5% |
| Dwelling type | Dwelling type | Flat or apartment | 43.6% | 44.1% | 43.6% | 51.6% |

## Council
### Current composition and election method

Lane Cove Municipal Council is composed of nine councillors elected proportionally as three separate wards, each ward electing three councillors. All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor and deputy mayor are elected by the councillors at the first meeting of the council. The most recent election was held on 4 December 2021, and the makeup of the council is as follows:
| Party | Councillors |
| Independents | 6 |
| Australian Labor Party | 2 |
| The Greens | 1 |
| Total | 9 |
The current Council, elected in 2024 is:
| Ward | Councillor | Party | Notes |
| Central Ward | Kathy Bryla | Independent | |
| Central Ward | Bridget Kennedy | Independent | Deputy Mayor Jan–Sep 2022. Deputy Mayor 2024 - current. |
| Central Ward | Caleb Taylor | Independent | |
| East Ward | Merri Southwood | Independent | Deputy Mayor, 2022–2023. Mayor 2024 - current. |
| East Ward | Helena Greenwell | Independent | |
| East Ward | David Roenfeldt | Labor | Deputy Mayor, 2023–2024. |
| West Ward | Scott Bennison | Independent | Elected 2008; Deputy Mayor, 2018–2019; Mayor, 2012–2013, 2023–2024 |
| West Ward | Katie Little | Labor | Elected 2017; Mayor, 2022–2023. |
| West Ward | Rochelle Flood | The Greens | |

## Election results
### 2024

2024 New South Wales local elections: Lane Cove :
| Party | Party | Party | Votes | % | Swing | Seats | Change |
| | Labor | Labor | 5,402 | 23.0 | −0.1 | 2 | 1 |
| | Greens | Greens | 3,399 | 14.5 | +9.0 | 1 | |
| | Independents | Independents | 14,681 | 62.5 | +22.0 | 6 | 4 |
| Formal votes | Formal votes | Formal votes | 23,482 | 94.6 | | | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 1,338 | 5.4 | | | |
| Total | Total | Total | 24,820 | | | | |

## Council history

In May 1865, 67 residents of the rural District of Willoughby, which included what is now Lane Cove, sent a petition to the governor Sir John Young, requesting the incorporation of the "Municipality of North Willoughby". This resulted in the municipality being formally proclaimed on 23 October 1865.
There were no wards until 1876 when the council was divided into three wards: Chatsworth Ward to the north, Middle Harbour Ward to the east and Lane Cove Ward to the west. Lane Cove Ward subsequently became the separate "Borough of Lane Cove" on 11 February 1895. With the passing of the Local Government Act, 1906, the name was changed to be the "Municipality of Lane Cove" and with the passing of the Local Government Act, 1993, the council legally changed to "Lane Cove Council" and aldermen were retitled councillors.
A 2015 review of local government boundaries by the NSW Government Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal recommended that the Municipality of Lane Cove merge with the councils across the river. The government proposed a merger of the Hunter's Hill, Lane Cove and Ryde Councils to form a new council with an area of 57 square kilometres (22 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 164,000. In July 2017, the Berejiklian government decided to abandon the forced merger of the Hunter's Hill, Lane Cove and Ryde local government areas, along with several other proposed forced mergers.

## Heritage listings

The Lane Cove Council has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
* Greenwich, 95 River Road: Pallister, Greenwich
* Lane Cove, 334 Burns Bay Road: Carisbrook, Lane Cove
* Lane Cove North, 518 Pacific Highway: Chatswood South Uniting Church
* Linley Point, 360 Burns Bay Road: Linley House
* Northwood, 1 Private Road: Northwood House