Each day, Council receives numerous requests from our residents. Here we look at the top five most commonly asked questions and shares the answers.

With more than 150,000 people living in Randwick City, we get a lot of questions. Between our call centre and customer service email inbox, we received more than 34,500 requests last year. We took a look at the top five questions you asked and put the answers together so you’ll know how you or Council can deal with any of the following situations.

Q: Someone has dumped rubbish in my street. What can I do about it?

A. Illegally dumped rubbish is one of Council’s biggest issues. In March this year, we received 1,197 reports from residents of dumped rubbish that we collected. If rubbish, old furniture or a mattress has been dumped on your street, you can report it to Council and we will collect it. How do you report it? Call 1300 722 542 or visit our website and search ‘report illegally dumped rubbish’ (it will take you to this page). Or, you can send an email to council@randwick.nsw.gov.au with the address, name and what kind of rubbish has been dumped and Council will organise to pick it up. It’s important to note that each household is offered four free booked clean up services each year (in addition to one scheduled clean up). Reporting illegally dumped rubbish will not be counted towards your allotted services.

Q: There’s an abandoned car or trailer parked in my street. Can you tow it?

A. Before Council can tow a vehicle, a thorough investigation needs to take place to ensure the vehicle is actually disowned. Once a vehicle is reported as abandoned, Council waits for a period of 28 days before investigating. If the car is still there, Council will gather information such as registration, make and model of the car. Council will also place a sticker on the vehicle to alert the owner that the vehicle is under investigation. Council will contact the last registered owner of the vehicle. If no reply is received from the owner, and a significant amount of time has passed, the vehicle may be towed. It will be taken to our nominated auction house where it’s kept for a period of at least 35 days before it is sold through auction.

Q: There’s a street light that’s not working, can you fix it?

A. We receive a lot of calls about damaged or broken street lights. Although we pay the bill to keep these street lights functioning, we are not responsible for maintaining all of them. If a streetlight is broken in your area, you're best to log onto the Ausgrid website (www.ausgrid.com.au) and report it. Their website is very easy to use and you’ll receive a reference number for the job. Or, you can call Ausgrid on 1800 044 808. If the light you're wishing to report isn't maintained by Ausgrid, contact Council to look into who is responsible for its maintenance.

Q: My neighbours are renovating and it’s noisy. What hours are they allowed to work?

A. If it’s a Development Application (DA) that was approved by Council, generally the working hours are Monday to Friday, 7am-5pm and Saturday, 8am-5pm. Additional restrictions may apply to rock excavators, jack hammers and pile drivers or sensitive sites. For work that is a Complying Development the hours are slightly different. Residential work can take place Monday to Saturday from 7am-5pm. While commercial or industrial work can take place Monday to Friday, 7am-6pm and Saturday 8am-1pm. However, internal building work may be carried out in a commercial or industrial premises at any time, providing it satisfies relevant noise criteria. For work that is classed as an ‘exempt development’ and does not require Council approval, there are no restrictions on the working hours, however certain limitations do apply to the use of power tools and other equipment under the Noise Control Regulations. We recommend talking to your neighbours and letting them know if the noise is disturbing. If you’re in a strata building, contact your strata manager for their help in this matter. If the noise continues, contact Council.

Q: The footpath in my street needs repair. Can you fix it?

A. We are responsible for maintaining 511km of footpaths across the City. We recently conducted a condition inspection and we're now prioritising the work that needs to be done. If you’re concerned about a footpath you can send an email to council@randwick.nsw.gov.au and our team will assess and action it appropriately.

Is your question not answered here? Why not contact us and we'll answer it!