"I look forward to working with you and indeed all six of you my colleagues over the remaining months of our term," he said.

"The return of your local council is a victory for local democracy, the people's victory. We thank Minister Hancock for allowing this to happen."

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Cr Tiley also took the opprtunity to mention the court action earlier this year, when he and four other councillors were prevented from terminating then CEO Susan Law.

Cr Tiley said it was important to note the recent words of Barrister Shane Prince QC who, in June 2020 successfully defended action against five ARC Councillors in the Land and Environment Court.

"We as your council will strive that our community is viable and vibrant and that our environment endures so that we can look our children in the eye and say we tried," he said.

Cr Tiley read out the words Mr Prince had said after about his clients, where the barrister said the councillors had "selflessly consented to a suspension of the Council to clean up a mess not of their making - and of which they themselves were victims".

Reading Mr Prince's words, Cr Tiley said: "They were completely vindicated by the Chief Judge of the Land and Environment Court in their attempts to do their job as directors of the Council, and now, the reinstatement of the Council restores them to their rightful place.

"They should never have had to go through this torment for simply doing their civic public duty for the people of the Armidale LGA. They always put the Council's interests ahead of their own - truly noble."

This is the beginning of a new era at Armidale Regional Council Cr Tiley said.

"The governing body is returned with the task of governing effectively. To do that we will require better and timely information provision."

As well as adhering diligently to the Minister's Performance Improvement Order, Cr Tiley said council would address the various discovered issues.

"We welcome the appointment of the financial controller Mr John Rayner PSM," he said.

"We will work closely with him and of course the new general manager, James Roncon, on his arrival.

"I guarantee that there will be no recriminations over the past. We know that the problems of the past go back many years, perhaps as far back as the Armidale Dumaresq voluntary merger 21 years ago.

"We do need to look back so that we don't repeat the mistakes of the past, and so that they will never happen again. Where I could have done better, or have made mistakes, I am sorry."

Cr Tiley also said council would progress overdue action strategies of the Climate Emergency Declaration and support renewable energy infrastructure projects wherever possible.

"We are committed to restoring community trust and confidence in local government and specifically ARC which belongs to the people," he said.

"We will always fight for accountability and transparency. We will be about policy setting, and our staff will be enablers of our policy decisions.

"We are one team. We are united."

Council will always listen to ratepayers - especially when they disagree Mr Tiley insisted.

"I will have councillors and senior staff visit all rural areas on Saturdays in February and March in 2021, and again when we consult on the operational plan and budget in May/June," he promised.

"We will also conduct town hall style meetings in Armidale and Guyra. We want to connect.

"I will be an Armidale person while ever I have this, what will be for me, a full-time role.

"I will be in the office every day, but you don't need to come here to the offices to meet me. I will meet anywhere."

Mr Tiley said his door would be open to all with no exceptions and along with his colleagues, he will regularly be at coffee shops and public spaces to have informal chats with the community.

"My six colleagues will form a list of guest speakers to address and liaise with the diverse local community groups and organisations," he said.

"They will convey councils important messages but most importantly will listen to you. This will truly be a team effort. I will meet each councillor regularly and individually."

Councillors want to see progress in securing a hydrotherapy pool; the airport and business park; supporting businesses and the central business district post-Covid 19 and water security Mr Tiley said.

In particular, the fast-tracking of the Malpas Dam wall raising and the development of the New England Science and Innovation Regional Hub being championed currently by the University of New England.

"I believe there is also a major need to commence a new civic group devoted to development and progress for all of our Local Government Area," he said.

"We will be about getting things done and about sticking to the basics and getting the fundamentals in shape. We will not hand back grants. Rather we will search for grant opportunities.

"We intend to restore financial prudence and to go through the current budget line by line."

Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock suspended Armidale Regional Council in June after a breakdown of the relationship between councillors and the interim administrator Viv May departed last Friday

Four of Armidale's 11 elected councillors resigned after the council was suspended, including former mayor Simon Murray.