The city is governed and administered by the Greater Bendigo City Council; its seat of local government and administrative centre is located at the council headquarters in Bendigo, it also has service centres located in Heathcote, Huntly, Marong and a couple of other locations within Bendigo. The city is named after the main urban settlement lying in the centre-west of the LGA, that is Bendigo, which is also the LGA's most populous urban area with a population of 99,122.[5]
Council
Current composition
The council is composed of three wards and nine councillors, with three councillors per ward elected to represent each ward.[6] The most recent election was held in October 2020.
The council meets in the council chambers at the council headquarters in the Bendigo Town Hall offices, which is also the location of the council's administrative activities. It also provides customer services at its administrative centre on Lyttleton Terrace in Bendigo and its service centres in Heathcote, Huntly and Marong and also on Hopetoun Street and St Andrews Avenue in Bendigo.
2023 Council Election Review
In the lead up to the 2024 Victorian local elections, The Victorian Electoral Commission conducted a review into the electoral structure of multiple Victorian councils, including the City of Greater Bendigo, The review found that the city should adopt nine single-councillor wards at the election, namely:
Axedale Ward
Eppalock Ward
Epsom Ward
Golden Square Ward
Kennington Ward
Lake Weeroona Ward
Lockwood Ward
Ravenswood Ward
Whipstick Ward
Townships and localities
At the 2021 census, the city had a population of 121,470 up from 110,477 in the 2016 census[9]
^Local Government in Victoria. "Greater Bendigo City Council". Department of Transport, Planning and Local Infrastructure. State Government of Victoria. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2014.