The Cooks River Alliance is a partnership between councils in the Cooks River Catchment –Bayside, Canterbury-Bankstown, Inner West, Strathfield and Sydney Water.
What We Do
The Alliance uses the combined resources, experience, knowledge and skills within the councils and the community to address the complex environmental problems of the Cooks River.
The Alliance helps its member councils achieve sustainable urban water management (SUWM) in the Cooks River Catchment through organisational capacity building, and partnership building with other councils, government agencies, community organisations and local people. Working together towards SUWM will provide social, organisational and physical benefits to the Cooks River Catchment, resulting in a healthy Cooks River in the long term.
Alliance activities include: engaging with people living and working in the Cooks River Catchment, monitoring water quality, seeking funding, managing the construction of on-ground works, and advocating and lobbying for legislative amendments to help improve the health of the Catchment.
Alliance Structure
The Alliance operates at three levels: Board, Executive Management, and Steering Committee.
The Board is the key governance and decision-making body of the Alliance. The Board is made up of one councillor from each member council.
The Executive Committee manages the Alliance Project Manager, monitors progress, and oversees composition of Board meeting agendas. The Executive Committee is made up of the Alliance Chair, Deputy Chair, a senior representative from the host council (Strathfield) and senior representatives from two other Cooks River Alliance councils.
The Steering Committee facilitates delivery of the Alliance Management and Action Plans, directs the work of the Alliance staff and action groups, and makes recommendations to the Alliance Board. The Steering Committee comprises at least one representative from each member council and all Alliance staff.
The Cooks River Alliance employs a small team to manage the day-to-day activities of the Alliance, drive the implementation of the Cooks River Alliance Management Plan and Action Plan, and to maximise the efficient use of member councils’ limited resources.
Partners & Stakeholders
Each member council of the Alliance has signed a Memorandum of Understanding and has made a financial contribution to support the day-to-day running of the Alliance.
Cooks River Alliance stakeholders are those people, groups and organisations who make decisions that affect the catchment on a day-to-day basis including residents, businesses, schools, utility companies, and government agencies.