Cumberland City Council facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cumberland City Council New South Wales
Location in Metropolitan Sydney
Population	235,439 (2021 census)
• Density	3,270/km2 (8,500/sq mi)
Established	12 May 2016 (2016-05-12)
Area	72 km2 (27.8 sq mi)
Mayor	Lisa Lake
Council seat	Administration Centre, Merrylands
Region	Greater Western Sydney
State electorate(s)	Auburn Fairfield Granville Prospect
Federal Division(s)	Blaxland Greenway McMahon Parramatta
Website	Cumberland City Council
LGAs around Cumberland City Council: Parramatta Parramatta Parramatta Blacktown Cumberland City Council Strathfield Fairfield Canterbury Bankstown Canterbury Bankstown

Cumberland Council, also known as Cumberland City Council, is a local government area in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was created on 12 May 2016. This council was formed by joining parts of the former councils of Auburn, Parramatta (specifically its Woodville Ward), and Holroyd.

The Cumberland Council area covers about 72 square kilometres. In 2021, it had a population of around 235,439 people. The council's first meeting was held on 19 May 2016. Today, the council meetings take place at the Merrylands Administration Centre. The current mayor is Lisa Lake, who was elected on 12 January 2022.

How Cumberland Council Was Formed

Cumberland Council was created by merging parts of three older councils. Let's look at their history.

Holroyd Council's Story

The Holroyd Administration Centre in Merrylands, now the Cumberland Council seat, was the Holroyd seat from 1962.

The area that was once Holroyd Council started as the "Municipal District of Prospect and Sherwood" in July 1872. It changed its name to "Municipality of Holroyd" in 1927. This new name honoured Arthur Holroyd, who was the first mayor. In 1991, it became the "City of Holroyd". The main office for Holroyd Council moved to Merrylands in 1962.

Auburn Council's Story

The opening of the second Auburn Town Hall, Auburn Road, 12 July 1927.

East of Holroyd, the City of Auburn began as the "Borough of Auburn" in 1892. In 1906, areas like Silverwater and Newington joined it. Another part of Auburn was first called the "Borough of Rookwood" in 1891. In 1913, Rookwood was renamed "Lidcombe". This new name was a mix of the names of two past mayors.

On 1 January 1949, Auburn and Lidcombe councils joined together to form the "Municipality of Auburn". Later, in 2008, it officially became the "Auburn City Council".

Woodville Ward's Story

The Woodville Ward was a part of the City of Parramatta until 2016. This area was first known as the "Borough of Granville" in 1885. Its council meetings were held at the Granville Town Hall, which was finished in 1888.

In 1949, Granville and other nearby municipalities joined to form the new "City of Parramatta". Granville became the "Granville Ward". The new Parramatta City Council held its meetings at the Granville Town Hall until 1958. In 1995, Granville Ward was renamed "Woodville Ward".

Why Cumberland Council Was Created

Granville Town Hall was the location of the first meeting of Cumberland Council on 19 May 2016.

In 2015, the NSW Government looked at how local councils were set up. They suggested merging parts of Auburn, Holroyd, and Parramatta councils. This was to create a new, more efficient council.

On 12 May 2016, Cumberland Council was officially formed. It brought together parts of Auburn City Council, the Woodville Ward from Parramatta City Council, and most of Holroyd City Council. The rest of Auburn and a small part of Holroyd joined the City of Parramatta Council.

Cumberland Council logo used from May 2016 to February 2017.

Viv May was appointed as the first Administrator for Cumberland Council. He had a lot of experience from other councils. The first special meeting was held at the historic Granville Town Hall on 19 May 2016. Later, all council meetings moved to Merrylands.

After a lot of work to combine services and staff, the first council members were elected in September 2017. Greg Cummings, who was a mayor of Holroyd before, became the first Mayor of Cumberland Council.

"City" in the Name

In 2020, the council started using "Cumberland City Council" as its trading name. This means it's how they do business and how people usually refer to them. However, to officially become a "City Council" by law, the Governor of New South Wales needs to make an official announcement. The council is working towards making this official.

Places of Special History

The Cumberland Council area has several places listed for their historical importance. These include:

• Greystanes, Lower Prospect Canal Reserve
• Guildford, 11-35 Byron Road: Linnwood, Guildford
• Guildford, Frank Street: Guildford West pipehead and water supply canal
• Prospect, Clunies Ross Street: Prospect Hill
• Westmead, 2, 4, 6, and 8 Bridge Road: Essington

About the People of Cumberland Council

This section shows information about the people living in the Cumberland Council area.

Information about Cumberland Council from recent surveys
Survey Year			2016	2021
Population		Number of people living here	216,079	235,439
		Rank in NSW (by size)	7th
		% of New South Wales population	2.89%	2.91%
		% of Australian population	0.92%	0.92%
Different Backgrounds and Languages
Ancestry, top groups		Lebanese	11.3%	11.9%
		Chinese	10.8%	12.6%
		Australian	10.1%	10.6%
		English	8.8%	9.2%
		Indian	7.1%	8.7%
Language, top languages (other than English)		Arabic	15.2%	14.1%
		Mandarin	6.3%	6.7%
		Cantonese	4.5%	4.0%
		Tamil	3.1%	3.3%
		Turkish	3.1%	-
		Nepali	-	4.4%
Religious Beliefs
Religious groups, top responses		Catholic	24.0%	21.3%
		Islam	21.9%	22.8%
		No religion, so described	13.8%	14.7%
		Hinduism	10.2%	13.4%
		Not stated	8.2%	8.5%
Average Weekly Earnings
Personal income		Average weekly personal income	$501	$654
		% of Australian average income	75.67%	81.24%
Family income		Average weekly family income	$1,436	$1,808
		% of Australian average income	82.81%	85.28%
Household income		Average weekly household income	$1,379	$1,678
		% of Australian average income	95.89%	96.10%

What Facilities Does the Council Provide?

Greystanes/Pemulwuy industrial area, which was formerly a quarry zone.

Cumberland Council offers many services and places for its residents.

• There are eight libraries across the area.
• The council also runs five swimming pools. In 2017, residents voted to keep all five pools open, even though they cost a lot to run.
• Part of the Smithfield-Wetherill Park Industrial Estate is in the region. This is a very large industrial area in the southern hemisphere. It's a key place for manufacturing and distribution in western Sydney.

How the Council Works

Cumberland City Council
Leadership
Mayor	Lisa Lake (Labor Labor)
Deputy Mayor	Ola Hamed (Labor Labor)
Structure
Cumberland City Council composition following the 2021 election
Political groups	Majority (8)      Labor Labor (8) Others (7)      olc olc (3)     Independent Liberal Independent Liberal (2)     Independent Independent (1)     The Independents (1)
Elections
Last election	4 December 2021
Next election	14 September 2024

Cumberland City Council has fifteen councillors. These councillors are elected by the people. There are five different areas, called "wards", and three councillors are elected from each ward. The first council was elected on 9 September 2017. The Mayor is chosen by the councillors every two years, and the Deputy Mayor is chosen every year.

Who is on the Council Now?

The most recent election was on 4 December 2021. Here's a look at the different groups on the council:

Here are the councillors for each ward:

Past Mayors and Leaders

Here are the people who have led Cumberland Council since it was formed:

Election Results

2021 Election