City of Cessnock

Template:About Template:For Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use Australian English Template:Infobox Australian place The City of Cessnock is a local government area in the Hunter region of New South Wales, Australia. The area under administration is located to the west of Newcastle. The largest population centre and council seat is the city of Cessnock.

The mayor of the City of Cessnock Council is Cr. Jay Suvaal, a member of Country Labor.<ref name=mayor/>

Main towns and villages

The Cessnock City Council area includes:

• Cessnock
• Kurri Kurri
• Weston
• Pelaw Main
• Abermain
• Aberdare
• Bellbird
• Kearsley
• Mulbring
• Kitchener
• Paxton
• Millfield
• Ellalong
• Wollombi
• Neath
• Branxton
• Greta

Demographics

At the Template:CensusAU, there were 50,840 people in the City of Cessnock local government area, of these 49.7 per cent were male and 50.3 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 4.8 per cent of the population, which was nearly double than the national and state averages of 2.5 per cent. The median age of people in the City of Cessnock was 37 years, equal to the national median. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 21.4 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 14.1 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 46.6 per cent were married and 13.2 per cent were either divorced or separated.<ref name="Census2011">Template:Census 2011 AUS</ref>

Population growth in the City of Cessnock between the 2001 census and the Template:CensusAU was 2.52 per cent; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 census, population growth was 10.03 per cent. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same periods, being 5.78 per cent and 8.32 per cent respectively, population growth in the City of Cessnock local government area was approximately equal to the national average over the ten-year period.<ref name="Census2001"/><ref name="Census2006"/> The median weekly income for residents within the City of Cessnock was lower than the national average.<ref name="Census2011"/>

At the 2011 census, the proportion of residents in the City of Cessnock local government area who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Celtic exceeded 83 per cent of all residents (national average was 65.2 per cent). In excess of 64% of all residents in the City of Cessnock nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 census, which was significantly higher than the national average of 50.2 per cent. Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in the City of Cessnock local government area had a significantly lower than average proportion (3.1 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4 per cent); and a significantly higher proportion (93.0 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8 per cent).<ref name="Census2011"/>

Selected historical census data for the City of Cessnock local government area
Census year			2001<ref name="Census2001">Template:Census 2001 AUS</ref>	2006<ref name="Census2006">Template:Census 2006 AUS</ref>	2011<ref name="Census2011"/>	2016<ref name="Census2016">Template:Census 2016 AUS</ref>	2021<ref name="Census2021"/>
Population		Estimated residents on census night	45,071	Template:Gain 46,206	Template:Gain 50,840	Template:Gain 55,560	Template:Gain 63,632
		LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales			43Template:Small	Template:Gain 42Template:Small	Template:Gain 40Template:Small
		% of New South Wales population			0.73%	Template:Gain 0.74%	Template:Gain 0.79%
		% of Australian population	0.24%	Template:Loss 0.23%	Template:Gain 0.24%	Template:Steady 0.24%	Template:Gain 0.25%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Australian			35.3%	Template:Loss 34.9%	Template:Gain 44.7%
		English			32.2%	Template:Loss 31.7%	Template:Gain 42.2%
		Scottish			8.4%	Template:Steady 8.4%	Template:Gain 11.5%
		Australian Aboriginal			n/c	Template:Steady n/c	Template:Gain 9.1%
		Irish			7.1%	Template:Gain 7.2%	Template:Gain 9.0%
Language, top responses (other than English)		Thai	n/c	Template:Steady n/c	Template:Steady n/c	Template:Gain 0.1%	Template:Gain 0.2%
		Tagalog	0.1%	Template:Loss n/c	Template:Gain 0.1%	Template:Steady 0.1%	Template:Gain 0.2%
		Spanish	n/c	Template:Steady n/c	Template:Steady n/c	Template:Gain 0.1%	Template:Steady 0.1%
		Vietnamese	n/c	Template:Steady n/c	Template:Steady n/c	Template:Steady n/c	Template:Gain 0.1%
		Mandarin	n/c	Template:Gain 0.1%	Template:Loss n/c	Template:Steady n/c	Template:Gain 0.1%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		No Religion	11.0%	Template:Gain 14.5%	Template:Gain 18.5%	Template:Gain 25.8%	Template:Gain 41.1%
		Anglican	33.6%	Template:Loss 33.0%	Template:Loss 31.1%	Template:Loss 26.5%	Template:Loss 19.2%
		Catholic	22.2%	Template:Loss 21.9%	Template:Steady 21.9%	Template:Loss 20.2%	Template:Loss 17.7%
		Not stated	n/c	Template:Steady n/c	Template:Steady n/c	Template:Gain 10.7%	Template:Loss 8.2%
		Uniting Church	9.9%	Template:Loss 8.5%	Template:Loss 7.4%	Template:Loss 5.4%	Template:Loss 3.7%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income		A$358	A$472	A$540	A$696
		% of Australian median income		76.8%	Template:Gain 81.8%	Template:Loss 81.6%	Template:Gain 86.5%
Family income		Median weekly family income		Template:AUD1,015	Template:AUD1,265	Template:AUD1,414	Template:AUD1,818
		% of Australian median income		86.7%	Template:Loss 85.4%	Template:Loss 81.5%	Template:Gain 85.8%
Household income		Median weekly household income		Template:AUD786	Template:AUD1,042	Template:AUD1,177	Template:AUD1,493
		% of Australian median income		76.5%	Template:Gain 84.4%	Template:Loss 81.8%	Template:Gain 85.5%

Council

Current composition and election method

Cessnock City Council is composed of thirteen councillors, including the mayor, for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor is directly elected while the twelve other councillors are elected proportionally as four separate wards, each electing three councillors. The most recent election was held on 4 December 2021, and the makeup of the council, including the mayor, is as follows:<ref name=mayor/><ref name="A" /><ref name="B" /><ref name="C" /><ref name="D" />

File:Australia City of Cessnock Council 2022.svg

Party		Councillors
Template:Australian party style|	Labor	6
Template:Australian party style|	Liberal Party	3
Template:Australian party style|	Independent	4
	Total	13

The current Council, elected in 2021, in order of election by ward, is:

Ward	Councillor		Party	Notes
Mayor	Template:Australian party style|	Jay Suvaal	Labor	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
A Ward	Template:Australian party style|	Jessica Jurd	Independent	<ref name="A">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	Template:Australian party style|	James Hawkins	Labor
	Template:Australian party style|	Paul Dunn	Liberal
B Ward	Template:Australian party style|	Ian Olsen	Independent	<ref name="B">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	Template:Australian party style|	Anthony Burke	Labor
	Template:Australian party style|	John Moores	Liberal
C Ward	Template:Australian party style|	Anne-Marie Sander	Labor	<ref name="C">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	Template:Australian party style|	Karen Jackson	Liberal
	Template:Australian party style|	Daniel Watton	Independent
D Ward	Template:Australian party style|	Rosa Grine	Labor	<ref name="D">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
	Template:Australian party style|	Mitchell Hill	Labor
	Template:Australian party style|	Paul Paynter	Independent

See also

• List of local government areas in New South Wales