Liverpool Plains Shire Council departing general manager Jo Sangster reflects on time in role

The departing general manager for the Liverpool Plains Shire Council has worked tirelessly during the last three years to get the books to balance and get moving on major projects.

After a 35 hour drive from Katherine to Quirindi, Ms Sangster hit the ground running to restructure and improve the council's way of working.

"People didn't have a very clear direction about reporting roles and what was expected of them," she said.

"That makes it very difficult for them to remain motivated and create high performing teams."

In her three years on the job, the council employed three qualified accountants in financial services, where there were previously none, established an audit and risk committee, and narrowed down the list of outstanding projects.

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"There were 36 outstanding audit actions when I came here, there's now four," Ms Sangster said.

"I wanted to make sure we weren't walking away from challenges, but making sure we were walking into them.

"But walking into them with the view of getting them resolved."

Ms Sangster and her family moved to Quirindi in the midst of lockdowns, which she said made her transition into the community difficult.

"Not being able to participate in activities that we normally would have participated in was hard," she said.

"It was a real challenge for the organisation and our family."

But having been a part of the community for three years now, Ms Sangster said she could see how council's projects had made a real difference.

A new pavilion, a modernised waste strategy, an increase in road rehabilitation funding and "significantly" reducing council's operating deficit are all among her proudest achievements.

But delivering a shiny new state-of-the-art library is the project that takes the cake.

"It's now a modern library where young people like hanging out," she said.

"It's moved from a library that borrowed books to a library that's really engaged with the community."

Ms Sangster said she found comfort knowing she was leaving council in a better place, compared to where she found it.

"I'm really proud of all the staff and how they've been able to embrace change," she said.

"They're a lot more confident in their decision making abilities.

"They're now able to step up with confidence to deliver what the community wants delivered."

As she wraps up her time in the office, Ms Sangster said she hoped more women would feel empowered to pursue leadership positions.

"There's not many women out in these leadership roles in regional NSW," she said.

"So I would encourage women to think about it as an option, it's certainly a very fulfilling career."

Council's director infrastructure and environmental services Nathan Skelly has been appointed as acting general manager until a permanent replacement is found.

For Ms Sangster, the plan is to take a well earned break before embarking on her next move.

"I think it's important to reflect and recoup and then go onto the next position," she said.

"A job like this takes an awful lot of energy and an awful lot of commitment.

"I want to make sure I've got that energy and commitment for the next role."

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