GAWLER Council will once again scrap its deputy mayor position, voting instead to continue with its three-member leadership team.

At their meeting last Tuesday, elected members were split on whether to keep the leadership team in place for the next year, with Mayor Karen Redman using her casting vote to rule in favour
of keeping the group instead of electing a deputy mayor.

Councillors Cody Davies and Paul Little will make up the committee after being voted in as chairs of the council’s Corporate and Community Services and the Infrastructure and Environmental committees.

Leadership team members will deputise for Ms Redman at events and will also chair meetings in her absence.

It will be the second-straight year the council will go without a deputy mayor, which is expected to save the council $3000.

The pair will take over from councillors David Hughes and Paul Koch.

At the meeting, Ms Redman said having the leadership team in place was “useful”.

“I did enjoy having two councillors assist me,” she said.

“They were very supportive, represented me to a very high standard and I got really good feedback.

“The model worked well for me, but I’m in your (councillors) hands.”

The council’s last deputy mayor was councillor Ian Tooley, who represented the mayor between November 2017 and the November 2018 council elections.

During debate on whether to maintain the leadership team, he said saving $3000 was not “a big deal” for the council.

“We may be the only council which doesn’t have a deputy mayor,” he said.

“In terms of experience, it’s a democratic process and anyone can put their hand up for that role.

“It’s $3000 extra – that is it.

“Later on tonight, we’re going to be looking at salaries for executives, and we quibble as if saving $3000 matters in the whole scheme.”

The leadership team, and all other council committees will be in place until November next year, when membership will be voted on again.