The Hills Shire Council — Local services in Sydney

Bear with us folks.

The Hills Shire Council. Champions of the "rules are rules" brigade. A shining beacon of bureaucracy so devoted to their parking regulations that even the miracle of life can’t disrupt their unwavering dedication to squeezing out every dollar.

Picture this, a heavily pregnant woman, mere hours away from bringing new life into this world, is struck by contractions while at Castle Hill Mall. Naturally, she pauses to gather herself before making her way back to the car. A mere 15 minutes later—cue the soundtrack to "Jaws"—the parking warden swoops in to deliver their own bundle of joy: a fresh parking fine. Congratulations, it's a $260+ infringement notice!

Now, let’s give credit where it’s due. When I contested the fine, I foolishly thought that a council—made up of actual human beings—might take a moment to acknowledge the extraordinary circumstances. I mean, we even submitted proof: hospital records, a timeline, and a baby (well, they didn’t actually meet the baby, but they could’ve if they'd waived the fine).

But no. Castle Hill Council stood firm, unyielding. Their response? A masterclass in bureaucratic coldness: “The driver is responsible for adhering to parking conditions at all times.” Ah yes, because nothing says “responsible” like driving while in labor. Perhaps my wife should’ve set a timer between contractions, leaped into the driver’s seat, and practiced her breathing techniques while dodging pedestrians in the mall carpark.

The Hills Shire, you’ve outdone yourselves. Your commitment to rules at the expense of common sense is truly inspiring. Forget the whole “community service” thing—clearly, revenue collection is your real passion. I can only imagine the pride your parking department feels every time they deny a plea from a ratepayer who dared to prioritize human decency over a ticking meter.

So, Hill Shire Council, here’s to you. A bastion of fairness, a paragon of compassion, and a shining example of why people love dealing with local government. May your coffers overflow with the coins of parents rushing to pick up their kids, elderly folks taking too long to load groceries, and, of course, expectant mothers battling labor pains.

Next time, I’ll remind my wife to time her labor more responsibly—preferably after consulting the parking regulations. In the meantime, enjoy the fine. Maybe use it to install a commemorative plaque in the carpark: “Here lies the last shred of the Hills Shire Council’s humanity. Expired 15 minutes after...

We hired the "Function Room" at the Wrights Rd Community Center, Kellyville for our sons 21st. The round tables were in poor condition and it wasn't until we were setting them up on the day did we realise how dodgy they were! The legs didn't lock in so they were very unstable. You could see that people before us had used duct tape to hold them together but obviously had to cut the tape to refold the tables again. I'm sure someone had told the Hills Council about it but nothing was done. As the night progressed one of the tables actually collapsed on our guests. There was broken glass everywhere from the table centerpiece and glass bottles.....not good at all! The fridge in the kitchen was way too small to fit anything in there, for a commercial kitchen it didn't cater for the size of the hall or a large amount of people. The birthday cake didn't even fit in the fridge....not happy!!!! When I check the toilets before our guests arrived they were disgusting with toilet paper all over the floor and sinks where dirty so I had to get my broom and dust pan and clean the toilets....not good enough, what am I...

I’ve never seen a ranger not wearing a high-visibility vest before—this one was dressed completely in black, from head to toe. He looked more like someone working at a café or attending a funeral than an official ranger. Honestly, it seemed like he didn’t even know the area, like he’d never been to Bella Vista before.

My friend dropped me off at Bella Vista Metro. We stopped in the taxi zone for less than a minute just long enough for me to get out. Suddenly, I noticed someone taking photos of us and the car. Why not wait and see if we were actually parking or staying for several minutes? It was an instant reaction, and it felt completely unfair and unnecessary.

When we asked him why he was doing that, he just ignored us no explanation, no conversation. This is honestly the worst council experience I’ve had. And from what I’ve seen and heard, he keeps doing this to others too.

Please be aware of these dodgy tactics being used to make money. It’s not about safety or fairness—it’s...