Councillors last night voted on whether to dump its policy of rotating meetings across the shire at a meeting at

Yandoit.

Under the plan meetings would only be held at Daylesford. Agenda meetings would be held the week prior at

Creswick.

According to a council report logistical issues, confusion and poor heating inside rural halls are the reasons for

the intended change.

But former Daylesford District Action Group secretary Julianne Regan described the proposal as an example of

a slide towards further secrecy and the exclusion of ratepayers from council issues.

"The rationale given is just not a good enough reason," Ms Regan said.

"It (the council) appears to be in lockdown from the public and the media," she said.

DDAG former president Russ Wilkinson said ratepayers in outlying towns would be worse off if the motion was

adopted.

"I think they're doing it so locals get less of a chance to discuss issues with senior officers," Mr Wilkinson said.

The report says "the proposed meeting locations will slightly reduce workloads from not having to move around

between so many different locations".

Mr Wilkinson also said he believed Hepburn was an officer-run council.

"Councillors aren't told things nowadays. Council isn't like it used to be ," he said.

He said recent council infighting between senior officers and Holcombe Ward Cr Bill McClenaghan and Coliban

Ward Cr Heather Mutimer had been detrimental for shire residents.

"It's really significantly deteriorated. You can't have a functional council if it is split in groups," he said.

Ms Regan and Mr Wilkinson said the exclusion of Cr Mutimer and Cr McClenaghan from a chief executive officer

appraisal was another slur on democracy.

Ms Regan said the sooner inter-councillor and senior staff-councillor quarreling was resolved the better off

ratepayers would be.

"We wouldn't like the minister for local governance to appoint an administrator to take over the running of

council. A better option would be to have peak bodies run mediation sessions between councillors and senior officers,"

Ms Regan said.

The pair ruled out a reformation of a ratepayers' group, saying there's a strong need for an action group, but

varying political angles would prevent is from being successful.

The January council meeting will be held on the fourth Tuesday because of the Christmas break.