North Sydney Council is celebrating the 20^th Anniversary of Writers at Stanton, a programme of author talks hosted by Stanton Library in conjunction with the Constant Reader Bookshop.

Tell us who your favourite author is and why, and you can go in the draw to win a selection of books autographed by writers who have featured at Writers at Stanton.

You can have your say here without entering the draw. If you want to be entered for the prize, please include your name and a valid phone number or email address.

Your contact details will not be published on the blog. The blog closes on 31 August.

North Sydney’s popular Friday night food fair in Civic Park has returned with international food stalls and good music.

We asked everyone to give it a new name. Entries are below (competition closed 20 Nov) and the judges selected:

Twilight Food Fair

And the winner of the name our food fair competition is….

Blogger Jillian has won the name our food fair competition. We’re calling the food fair the Twilight Food Fair and everyone who used the word Twilight in their entry went into the draw. Jillian wins dinner for four at the food fair.

We’re updating Council’s strategic plan – 2020 Vision. It was developed in 2004, with 10 key directions. But plans aren’t static, they need to change as our community and circumstances change. Thinking of areas where Council could improve, which three areas would you recommend we concentrate on - and why?

Note: although Stage 1 consultation has now concluded, any comments made after 24 March will still be looked at as part of the 2020 Vision Review, then included later in:

      Summary of 2020 Vision consultation feedback (2.69MB)

Where in North Sydney do you find the best view, the best picnic spot, the best walking track, the best entertainment, the best place to eat or shop…. Are you willing to share the secret? The rest of North Sydney would love to know.

North Sydney Council spends more than $19 million a year on infrastructure maintenance. The big ticket items include roads $3.5m, street cleaning $1.8m, footpaths $1.6m, community facilities $1.4m, trees $1.2m, gardens $1.1m and sports grounds $1m. What is Council doing well in maintenance, how do we compare with other areas you visit and what do you think needs more attention?

The North Sydney Council draft Social Plan has identified growing social and emotional isolation within the North Sydney community. What do you think are the causes and what can be done about it?