Council approves minutes despite being told of accuracy concerns – October 2025

The emails highlighted several inaccuracies, stating, ‘it would be a shame to have the below responses (in the unconfirmed minutes) confirmed when they do not reflect what was actually stated in response to the questions’ (in the August meeting).

One question from the Herald concerned whether the shire would host a major event aligned with the Avon Descent in 2026.

In December 2024, the council voted to cancel the Toodyay International Food Festival in 2025 that had coincided with the river race for the previous 19 years.

The response from the shire president in the August meeting was, “The Avon Descent will be held in August 2026, which will be a consideration for the 2026-27 budget and the council may be completely different when the budget is devised.”

However, the answer recorded in the minutes, which has now been approved by the council, states: ‘Not aware of any community group that has plans to host an event in the shire aligned to the Avon Descent in 2026.’

This recorded answer differs from what was provided in the meeting by the shire president – a response that was captured on camera during the council’s video livestream.

Given the 4-1 vote at the September council meeting the August minutes have been placed on the public record with the errors uncorrected.

Toodyay shire ordinary council meetings are video livestreamed, and recordings are available for viewing on the local authority’s website.