An inherent conflict of interest: councils as developer and regulator

Local councils provide an enormous range of services to their communities. They also play an essential role as the third tier of government – particularly as they exercise planning, approval, regulatory and enforcement functions under State environment and planning legislation.\r\nThese dual roles mean that there is inherent potential for a conflict of interest for local councils who may be both the owner or proponent of a development,\n\n**Note:** This resource was originally published on opengov.nsw.gov.au. The OpenGov website has been retired. If you have any questions, please contact the Agency Services team at [e-mail]\n\n**Agency**\n \n- New South Wales Ombudsman\n