ALTONE ward has 10 candidates running to represent the area with encumbent councillors Jennifer Catalano and Jagdip Singh running for re-election this year, making it the most contested City of Swan ward.

Eight out of 10 councillors have listed safer streets on their priority items in the area but have not clarified if this is in reference to traffic safety or prevention of antisocial behaviour.

Social commentator and adjunct professor at the University of Notre Dame Australia Peter Kennedy said councils did have the ability to impose speed limits on minor roads but street violence was a much more complex issue.

“Local councils do have the power to impose speed limits on minor roads and in many places, they’re down to 40 kilometres an hour or 50,” he said.

“Local councils do have that power and with regard to issues such as speeding kills, particularly in built-up areas, in residential areas, then having that policy could well be quite attractive to voters.

“Antisocial behaviour is caused by a whole stack of things, unfortunately, and occurs far too often.

“But look, anything that reduces antisocial behaviour and if it is associated with speeding through residential areas, hooning perhaps, as some people call it, is associated with antisocial activity and can lead to community backlash and community disharmony and even community violence, then curbing speeding may well have a positive impact.”

University of Notre Dame politics and international relations professor Martin Drum said the policing of street safety would be a difficult problem to solve through council.

“Safer streets as a slogan may involve road investment or increased law enforcement. There’s very little a council can do about the latter, except perhaps run a security patrol, where the security officer needs to contact police anyway,” he said.

“On road investment and roadworks, major state roads are funded by state governments, and local roads are funded by local government, so it would depend on which road they are talking about.”

For first time candidates, the powers of council may be unclear.

“I’d recommend all candidates go to information sessions to familiarise themselves with what is required of them. Familiarity with the code of conduct for councillors would be very helpful,” Dr Drum said.

“Attending or viewing council meetings would be handy preparation.

“To be fair to local government and councillors serving on it, they can act as community advocates for initiatives which are outside their remit.

“They just are not typically the decision-makers.”

Mr Kennedy said some candidates nominate without a great deal of knowledge of the power of local government and the restriction on local government decision-making.

“They need to understand the three tiers of government, federal, state, and local, each with their particular area of influence,” he said.

“All candidates for local government should know what the role of local government is and that is essentially to provide services for residents and businesses in their particular area.

“It has been said that local governments really is confined to issues like footpaths, roads, rubbish collection, things like that.

“Local government has extended beyond that in many areas, but they are the basics.

“The job of local government is to attend to basic services for residents and businesses in their area and if they do that effectively, then they will be given a tick.”