Local Government Services
Healthy Environs is committed to nurturing healthy connections between local government and their communities to build a collective sense of purpose, pride, and resilience.
Councils play a vital role in the health of neighbourhood communities today and for generations to come. The Healthy Environs team has extensive experience delivering environmental, social, public health, and cultural value in the local government sector. We work with all councils: large and small, metropolitan and remote. Our service delivery options range from complete project management to mentoring and working alongside council staff to build the capacity of your team.
Core Services
Strategic Plans
Environmental strategy and nature accounting
Public health and wellbeing plans
Access and inclusion plans
Regulatory services and community safety
Service and partnership reviews
Health protection services
Government liaison and relations
Featured Projects
Sustainability Planning – Towards Thriving
Healthy Environs takes an integrated approach to deliver positive outcomes for both the natural and built environment and the communities that they sustain.
Our work with metropolitan and rural communities in sustainability policy and management spans environmental management, environmental impact assessment, environmental education and nature accounting.
We lead the development of sustainability strategies that articulate council commitments to the environment, reflect community aspirations and develop action based on local partnerships. Our sustainability approach is holistic, sensitive to the social and economic needs of the community and the promotion of community health and wellbeing.
Public Health and Wellbeing Planning
Local councils support their communities and contribute to the health and wellbeing of their residents. Public health and wellbeing planning provides a framework for developing council policy, procedures and actions to promote and protect the public health of communities.
Healthy Environs offers an experienced team of social planning and public health consultants to guide councils on their public health and wellbeing planning journey. Our project experience in public health planning spans 10 metropolitan councils and 15 rural and regional councils and counting.
Our consultants are skilled at developing public health and wellbeing plans following legislative requirements in close partnership with community stakeholders.
Our approach:
Comprehensively assesses the state of public health in the local government region based on meaningful indicators
Is underpinned by the social determinants of health and takes a quadruple bottom line approach (environmental, social, cultural and economic) to assess the state of health in regions
Integrates action across relevant council strategies and policies
Builds the capacity of council staff (officers, engineers, planners and policymakers) to help them understand how their work can shape public health
Is informed through comprehensive community engagement and involvement of Elected Council Members
Provides a foundation for public health partnerships across stakeholders and regions
Addresses relevant legislative requirements for municipal public health planning.
Our service capabilities are varied and tailored, from leading and managing your project to mentoring your in-house team.
Engaging in Access and Inclusion for All
Healthy Environs is committed to a comprehensive approach to access and inclusion planning, where people with lived experience contribute their expertise and knowledge.
We’re proud to have led an interactive workshop to initiate the Local Government Association’s (LGA’s) community of practice for Disability Access and Inclusion Planning.
With the theme ‘we are all in this together’, this process was designed to build council staff capacity and confidence in writing Access and Inclusion Plans and introducing them to a supportive peer network.
Healthy Environs has led community engagement for Access and Inclusion Strategy reviews at the City of Norwood, Payneham and St Peters and the City of West Torrens. Our planning approach respects human rights, builds on strengths, and invites co-creation with citizens and council groups. With comprehensive knowledge of local government functions, our consultants we involve all council staff in reviewing past progress and exploring opportunities to integrating diversity, access and inclusion across all services.
Regulatory Services and Community Safety
Developing the Local Government Authorised Persons Professional Framework
Authorised Officers within local government undertake a vast array of legislative duties and their roles and responsibilities have expanded significantly over the last decade. There is a recognised workforce shortage of people with these skills and Healthy Environs was engaged to help.
The Authorised Persons Association engaged our team to develop the Local Government Authorised Persons Professional Framework to help councils to attract, appoint and develop appropriate staff to fully meet the needs of the role of an Authorised Person.
The Framework was developed through consultation with council officers and management and reflects significant changes in responsibilities and legislation over the past 15 years. It was also influenced by our team’s experience working with Authorised Persons and Safety and Compliance teams in local government to develop the sector broadly, and review council services and management plans.
Designed to foster consistency in the appointment, development and management of Authorised Persons, key components include an entry guideline, competency matrix and career pathway guideline to help both councils and Authorised Persons to understand potential career paths and required skills and knowledge needed for various roles.
Supporting continuous improvement
The City of Salisbury engaged Healthy Environs to undertake a comprehensive program and service improvement reviews of its Environmental Health and Inspectorate Services. Our consultancy team applied a technical, financial and governance lens to review service delivery with consideration to the council’s Corporate Plan, community expectations, legislative requirements and policy directions, benchmarked service approaches and standards, organisational partnerships and requirements for facilities and infrastructure.
Our knowledge of local government legislative requirements pertaining to community safety and environmental management is extensive. We worked with various councils in South Australia to review the resourcing implications and prepare for the introduction of the Local Nuisance and Litter Control Act 2016. We were pleased to have recently worked with Adelaide Hills Council on the development of an Animal Management Plan in accordance with the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995. Recognising that pet ownership is popular in the region, the Plan explored the community benefits as well as safety and environmental considerations for effective animal management in the council area.
Let’s Work Together.
If you are a forward-thinking business or government leader who would like to learn how we can help you to achieve your business or community vision, contact us.
Acknowledgement of Country
We respectfully acknowledge the Kaurna and Kokatha people as Traditional Custodians of the lands from where we serve. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and emerging throughout Australia and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today. We recognise their enduring connection to the lands, waters, and community, and their ongoing contributions to the vibrant heritage of our nation.