City of South Sydney facts for kids

Quick facts for kids City of South Sydney New South Wales
Logo of the City of South Sydney.
Population	82,960 (1996 census)
Established	1 January 1968 1 January 1989
Abolished	1 January 1982 6 February 2004
Council seat	Erskineville Town Hall
Region	Inner City/Inner West

The City of South Sydney was a local council that looked after a part of Sydney, Australia. A local council is like a mini-government for a specific area, handling things like parks, roads, and local services. This council covered inner-eastern and inner-southern suburbs of Sydney. It was later combined with the Sydney City Council in 2004 by the Government of New South Wales. The main offices for the council were first in Erskineville Town Hall and later moved to Redfern.

A Look Back: The City of South Sydney

This section will explain how the City of South Sydney council was formed, changed, and eventually joined with another council.

First Council: 1968 to 1981

The first version of this council started on 1 January 1968. It was first called the Northcott Municipal Council. It was named after John Northcott, who was a past Governor of New South Wales. This new council was formed when parts of the City of Sydney were changed.

Several smaller areas like Newtown, Darlington, Erskineville, Alexandria, Waterloo, and Redfern were joined together. On 1 December 1968, the council's name was changed to the South Sydney Municipal Council. However, this council only lasted until 1 January 1982. All these areas then became part of the City of Sydney again.

Second Council: 1989 to 2004

In the late 1980s, the Government of New South Wales felt that the Sydney City Council wasn't doing enough for big city projects. Because of this, in March 1987, the government removed the Sydney City Council members. They put special managers, called commissioners, in charge until the end of 1988.

A special report suggested that the main business area of Sydney (the CBD) should be separate from the suburbs around it. It also suggested that a special group should manage the CBD to make sure it stayed a strong financial, business, and tourist centre.

So, in 1989, a new South Sydney City Council was created. It included the areas that were part of the council before 1982. It also added new areas like most of Surry Hills and the eastern side of the city. These new parts included places like Woolloomooloo, Kings Cross, Potts Point, and Elizabeth Bay.

The new South Sydney City Council officially started on 1 January 1989. It had nine elected members, first called aldermen and later councillors. These members represented three different areas, called wards: North, South, and East wards. The first election for this new council was held on 3 December 1988.

In 2002, there were talks about combining parts of the City of South Sydney and another council, Leichhardt, with the City of Sydney. In 2003, some areas like Potts Point, Elizabeth Bay, Kings Cross, Darlinghurst, Chippendale, Ultimo, and parts of Rushcutters Bay, Camperdown, and Darlington were moved from South Sydney to the City of Sydney.

Because of these changes, the City of South Sydney had less money and resources. It became too difficult for them to manage their finances. So, the City of Sydney and the City of South Sydney were officially combined on 6 February 2004.

Mayors of South Sydney

A mayor is the leader of a local council. They are elected by the people in the area and help make decisions for the community.

Mayors of Northcott/South Sydney Municipality (1968–1982)

Mayors of the City of South Sydney (1989–2004)