Councils provide essential services and facilities to our communities. While every council must deliver certain services, they also offer additional services tailored to community needs depending on their size and, location.

What do councils do?

Councils have a big impact on the lives of all South Australians.

Many of the things councils do aren’t obvious straight away, but they are behind many of the services you can see around your community.

Councils deliver services such as:

• bike paths and walking trails
• neighbourhood libraries
• playgrounds and parks
• festivals and events
• community programs
• local swimming pools and sporting facilities.

Councils are also involved in sustainability, environmental protection, investment attraction, tourism and emergency management.

Services councils must provide

All councils are required by legislation to deliver certain services. These include:

• Being a representative decision-maker for their community.
• Providing services and facilities in a fair and sustainable way.
• Representing their community to other tiers of government.
• Planning at the local level for the development and future needs of the area.
• Providing for the welfare, wellbeing, and interests of their community.
• Managing, developing, and conserving the environment.

To break it down, these services include waste collection at home, parking control on the streets, fire prevention and hazard management, and public health.

Services councils choose to provide

As well as the services councils must deliver, there are additional services that a council can choose to provide.

These services are different across councils and depend on local community needs, available funding, and the number of people in the area.

Learn more about the services provided by councils.