Willoughby Council’s Digital Shift:
Making Governance Accessible with Resolve Meeting Management
Willoughby City Council
79,634
Melinda Aitkenhead
With over two decades of experience across multiple councils, including Northern Beaches, Strathfield, Ku-ring-Gai, and now Willoughby, Melinda Aitkenhead has seen it all when it comes to meeting management. From manually compiling Word documents to spending hours at the photocopier, she knows the pain of outdated processes all too well.
​
Upon joining Willoughby City Council as Governance Team Leader, Melinda was introduced to Resolve. Unlike the Word-based platforms she had previously used, Resolve was fully online, paperless, and designed with usability in mind, for both internal teams and the wider community.
​
With Resolve, Willoughby Council didn’t just digitise their council meeting processes; they redefined the relationship between council and community. The same information is now more accessible, more transparent, and far more user-friendly.
​
Here’s their story.
​
“It’s not the information that has changed, it’s how easily people can access it.”
Melinda emphasised that one of the biggest benefits of Resolve has been how it has transformed the community’s access to information. With residents now able to quickly access specific items they're interested in without having to sift through lengthy documents, they’re now much more informed and engaged.
“Our community can now click into the item they care about – it’s direct, it’s intuitive, and they can easily see their attachments without having to jump between documents,” she explained.
On top of this, the Willoughby Community have also expressed how council meetings and following along with reports have made the process far more transparent and engaging.
“Councils don’t often receive direct praise from the community, but in this case, people told us they saw it as a significant step forward for transparency. They really valued how accessible everything had become - not because the information itself had changed, but because the way it was presented and consumed was so much easier,” she said.
​
“They really valued how accessible everything had become - not because the information itself had changed, but because the way it was presented and consumed was so much easier."​​​
​
A Bold Move - Transforming the Councillor Experience at Willoughby Council
When Willoughby Council decided to go fully digital, it marked a major cultural shift, especially for their councillors.
​
With hard copy meeting documents favoured, Willoughby decided to make a brave decision and move completely digital. And while a few in-meeting challenges arose, they were quickly addressed, resulting in a positive experience.
​
“It was a brave call. Within just three months of deciding to go digital, our councillors dropped paper altogether. I find many other councils are still hesitant to make the switch as councillors traditionally like bringing in their printed business papers each meeting, but Willoughby took a different approach, and it’s paid off,” said Melinda.
​
Melinda continued to explain how councillors enjoy using the Councillor Portal for everything, and how electronic voting has also enhanced clarity and transparency.
​
“They have really embraced it,” she said. “Our councillors love being able to annotate their papers, draft and share alternate motions, and collaborate in real time. Most even choose to share their draft motions before the meeting, which helps staff prepare thoughtful responses in advance.”
​
“There’s no juggling between systems or multiple logins,” she continued. Everything they need is in one place, and it’s accessible from anywhere. And when it comes to voting, they can see the motion wording clearly before casting their vote, and view the outcome immediately. That kind of visibility has made the process far more streamlined and engaging.”
​
“Our councillors love being able to annotate their papers, draft and share alternate motions, and collaborate in real time. Most even choose to share their draft motions before the meeting, which helps staff prepare thoughtful responses in advance."​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
​
While the shift to digital made a significant impact for councillors, Melinda mentioned that one of the biggest wins has been the self-serve nature of the platform, which has, in turn, also reduced the workload for the governance team, who no longer need to field repeated requests for past information.
​
“The Councillor Portal has become a powerful tool for tracking and managing information, leading to better decision-making and stronger outcomes. Councillors appreciate its self-serve nature and the ability to easily search historical records, which enhances their credibility and professionalism in the eyes of the community,” explained Melinda. “It’s become a one-stop shop not just for councillors, but for the executive team too. Everyone benefits from the same visibility and ease of use.”
​
“It’s become a one-stop shop not just for councillors, but for the executive team too. Everyone benefits from the same visibility and ease of use."​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
​
Executive Efficiency with Resolve: A CEO’s Perspective
Successful collaboration between executives, councillors and the community is critical for strategic success, not only for efficiency, but for the decision-making process and increased transparency.
Melinda shared a recent example from a council meeting where, just over an hour before it began, a last-minute business paper was submitted. Yet, instead of frustration, her CEO responded with genuine enthusiasm.
“He looked at the screen and said, ‘I love this.’ What he meant was that he could instantly see the status of the report; who had worked on it, where it was in the workflow, and what still needed approval. He could view all director comments and see that the necessary approvals were already in place. All he had to do was add his own. He was practically leaping out of his chair with excitement.”
​
Coming from a background where council used to print out reports, mark them up by hand, and physically circulate them for edits and approvals, this was a game-changer. That old process could take hours, if not days.
​
Now, with Resolve, the CEO was able to approve a report within 10 minutes of its final draft being submitted. No printing. No manual markups. No delays. Just a clear, streamlined digital workflow.
​
“His words? ‘This is the best thing ever.’”
​
Empowering Governance Teams: Confidence, Clarity and Control
Council meetings are the most critical process in local government, where decisions are made and directions are set. For governance professionals, managing this process can be complex and high-pressure, particularly in the lead-up to meetings.
​
“The afternoon of a council meeting used to be frantic,” Melinda said. “Last-minute changes, formatting issues, version confusion. It was a lot. Since adopting Resolve, formatting is no longer something we worry about. The system handles it for us, we do a quick check of the final PDF for page breaks, and we’re good to go.”
​
“Since adopting Resolve, formatting is no longer something we worry about. The system handles it for us, we do a quick check of the final PDF for page breaks, and we’re good to go.”
​
Resolve has also assisted the team in seamless collaboration. Last-minute changes are no longer a nightmare as everyone now has visibility over who has made an edit and when they made it, creating a clear audit trail.
​
Melinda explained how this has become essential for governance continuity and confidence.
​
“We recently had a policy change come through that was debated heavily over several months. Just before the meeting, we were asked why a specific clause had been added. Because we had documented our internal discussions and community feedback in the system, we had the answer in minutes. There was no scrambling and no guesswork.”