Council Plans That Actually Touch Your Business in 2025–26

If you run a shop, clinic or trade business in the Shire, councils can feel like background noise—until a small change lands squarely on your costs or your foot traffic. This year’s Delivery Program and Operational Plan sets the agenda through to June 2026, with a longer arc out to 2029. Buried in the documents is a handful of decisions that actually touch day-to-day trading: how people reach you, what it costs to use public venues, what’s expected in waste and sustainability, and how council fees are set. Here’s the translation into normal language, with a focus on what a business in Miranda, Cronulla, Caringbah, Gymea or Sutherland might feel over the next 12 months.

Streets, paths and how customers arrive

Council’s push on active transport—walking and cycling—keeps gathering speed. That matters even if you’ve never sat on a bike. More connected footpaths and local links make it easier for nearby customers and staff to reach you without hunting for parks. In practice, the works show up as missing footpath segments being filled in, safer crossings around centres, and targeted cycling corridors that stitch villages together. It’s not a wholesale redesign of the Shire, but it is the slow, steady stuff that changes how far people are willing to walk.

For retail strips and medical clusters, the early impact is simple: more people on foot equals more short, unplanned visits—coffee runs, chemist errands, pick-ups on the way to school. If your shopfront relies on that kind of traffic, the marketing job is to be obvious at walking pace: clean fascia, readable window offers, hours that match school and commuter peaks. For service businesses, the win is on staffing: a junior who can safely walk or ride from the train is one less parking space to fight over, one less “I couldn’t find a spot” late start.

There’s another layer here: the Shire’s long-range climate plan has moved from “why” to “how.” Transport is a big emissions line nationally, so expect council design choices that make low-emission trips easier near centres—shaded paths, better pram and wheelchair movement, and bike parking that isn’t an afterthought. None of that forces you to change your operations tomorrow; it does alter where footfall increases over time. If you’re hunting for your next premises, watch the streets that are getting these upgrades. They tend to compound.

Venues, events and the true cost of “free” space

If your business uses community venues—workshops, staff training, client nights—the 2025–26 fees and conditions matter. Council is explicit that pricing is set along “user pays” lines, with an eye to cost recovery where possible. That doesn’t mean a price hike at every venue, but it does mean you should read the fee notes closely: categories, discounts for community use, bonds, and any extra charges for after-hours access or cleaning.

The smart move is to plan your venue calendar at the start of each quarter. Pencil in dates, compare two or three options, and add the hidden costs to your budget: AV hire, staff time, insurance certificates, security if you’re serving alcohol, and the inevitable overrun on bump-out. If you hold regular client education nights—say, cashflow or payroll clinics for hospitality—block-booking a venue can be cheaper and simpler than one-offs. Council facilities are cashless, so tidy your accounts payable workflow to avoid last-minute scrambles.

If you’re a fitness or sports operator using public spaces, the fees framework lays out the commercial rates and how they’re determined. Again, it’s not about squeezing small operators; it’s about documenting who pays for what. Build the charge into your pricing and be transparent with clients. Most people understand that fair use of public land isn’t free forever.

Waste, recycling and the FOGO shift

The “FOGO” acronym—Food Organics and Garden Organics—has finally moved from concept to roll-out. For businesses, the important part isn’t the colour of the bin; it’s the signal about expectations. The Shire is aligning with state-level waste targets and council’s own climate strategy. In plain English: more emphasis on separating organics, less tolerance for contamination, and a stronger push for businesses to sort their waste correctly.

If you’re in food, your playbook is obvious: train staff to separate organics, label your back-of-house bins, and keep a simple photo guide near the prep area. If you’re not in food, it’s still worth a five-minute review: print, packaging, coffee cups in the waiting room. Contamination fees and rejected bins are an unnecessary nuisance—like merchant fees, they’re easier to control when you set the rules once and get on with your day.

From an accounting angle, the change is small but neat: cleaner sorting can reduce general-waste collections over the quarter. If you’re paying private waste contractors as well as using council services, ask them to re-quote after you bed in the new habits. There’s often low-hanging fruit in the schedule.

Climate: obligation or opportunity?

The Shire’s climate strategy to 2050 is no longer a glossy brochure. It locks in a direction of travel—council operations leading by example, better design standards for new assets, community programs that nudge behaviour, and partnerships that make it easier for homes and businesses to cut emissions without fuss. For a small business, the most immediate effect isn’t a surprise inspection; it’s eligibility.

When council and state start publishing grants, pilots and supplier panels that prefer low-emissions practices, being “ready” becomes a competitive edge. If you’re scoping a refit this year, get a quote that includes efficient lighting, induction and better HVAC controls. If it’s the same price or slightly more, take the long view—cheaper running costs, more comfortable staff, and fewer maintenance surprises. If you lease, a frank chat with your landlord about modest upgrades can pay both of you back inside the term.

There’s also a reputational piece that lands locally. Shire residents are picky—in a good way. They notice when a business is thoughtful about waste, energy and comfort. You don’t need to signal it with a manifesto; a few smart, visible choices speak for themselves.

Fees and charges: how to read them like a CFO

The annual fees schedule is long because it covers everything from sports fields to development services. As a trader, you don’t need to memorise it. You do need a mental model for how prices are set so you’re not blindsided by a line item you didn’t plan for.

Council’s policy is straightforward: where a service can be costed and charged to a specific user, it aims for cost recovery or market pricing. Where it’s a public good, general revenue does more of the heavy lifting. In practice, that means development-related fees, commercial venue hires and special services track closer to their delivery cost. Community and universal services lean less on the fee.

None of this is cause for anxiety; it’s a budgeting heads-up. If you have a DA in your future—home-based clinic expansion, minor fit-out, signage—build a modest buffer for fees and outsourced reports (acoustic, traffic, heritage if applicable). For events, price in the full cost including bonds. For day-to-day, the council rates page is still the home base for the big, predictable bills—and everything is cashless, which pairs well with clean reconciliation in Xero or MYOB.

Practical planning for the next two quarters

Here’s how I’m advising clients to fold the 2025–26 settings into a normal trading rhythm:

Map your foot traffic reality. If you’re within easy walking distance of a school, station or village centre, assume a slight lift in walking trips as small works complete. Adjust your hours and staffing around the peaks you’re already seeing. If you’re in a car-dependent pocket, keep an ear out for works that change access or parking and plan promotions around them rather than fighting them.

Lock in your venue strategy. If you use council spaces, plot the quarter now: dates, venues, expected headcount, equipment. Compare the all-in cost of a community venue with a local café function room before you assume one is cheaper. Put the bookings and bonds straight into your cashflow forecast.

Get FOGO-ready once, then forget it. Write a 10-line “waste rules” note, train the team, label bins, and add a single task in your onboarding checklist. If you pay private waste contractors, ask for a new quote after a month of better sorting.

Pick one visible climate action. Replace the worst of your lighting, fix that ancient split-system, or move your benchtop to induction if it’s aging anyway. Quiet efficiency gains beat shiny PR.

Treat the fees schedule like reference material. When you’re planning a DA, permit or venue use, scan the relevant section and add 10% headroom. It’s not pessimism; it’s peace of mind.

What doesn’t change

Despite the policy work, the Shire remains what it’s always been: a place where family time, beaches and sport set the rhythm, and where “local” still means something. That’s useful if you’re in the business of earning trust. Council can nudge how people move and how facilities are priced; the reason someone chooses your business is the same as last year—clear value, consistent service and no surprises.

The accountant’s view (and where we help)

This year’s council program isn’t a wild departure. It’s a tightening of the bolts—finishing footpath links, formalising fees, rolling out FOGO, and setting a climate direction that will be increasingly normal in southern Sydney. Your edge comes from reading those choices early and setting your own dials: a cleaner shopfront for walkers, a smarter venue plan, a one-time waste tune-up, and long-life equipment that costs less to run.

If you’d like a second set of eyes on your cashflow with venue fees, waste contracts and small capex factored in, we’ll build a simple, living forecast you can steer from your phone. No drama—just clarity on what the next quarter really costs and where the quick wins sit.

Trident Accounting – practical, local, on your side.

Written by Aidan Walmsley