Five Days Left to Oppose Rate Rise

THE 20 percent special rate variation proposed by the Upper Hunter Shire Council is being considered by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Authority (IPART) and there are five days left for residents to make submissions if they support or oppose the variation.

Two key criteria considered by IPART include:

• the communities capacity and willingness to pay higher rates and
• if Council can demonstrate they have engaged with the community.

Go to the IPART website to make your submission: Local Government – Special Rate Variations.

John Preston, Upper Hunter candidate for the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party has said ratepayers should not foot the bill for town revitalisation projects and the Council should be making stronger representation for the state government to pay for the projects.

“Sydney based Council’s don’t have to have special rate variations to do projects like art installations of a $2.5 million milk crate or $12 million cloud arches, the state government funds that for them,” said Mr Preston.

“And the City of Sydney has had $30 billion given to it by the state government for transport infrastructure, yet the people of the Upper Hunter are expected to pay for their own town revitalisation projects?” he questioned.

“The Council’s applying for special rate variations are overwhelming regional Council’s wanting to do basic improvements, there is a systemic problem with regional Council’s being underfunded,” he said.

“I’d be asking if Council has properly raised this issue with the Minister for Local Government, Gabrielle Upton and have they demonstrated there is clearly a problem with local government funding in regional New South Wales,” he said.

“They rip billions of dollars out of the state seat of the Upper Hunter in coal royalties, yet it doesn’t come back to the region for projects like this,” he said.

“Pressure should also be brought to bear by Local Government NSW whose job is to press the case for local government to Macquarie Street,” he said.

“They are bleeding regional Council’s dry and expecting local rate payers to fund this, it is time the state government started funding these projects in regional areas instead,” he said.

“Council should be getting this money from State government, not local ratepayers,” John Preston said.

Related stories:

• Plans for a Rate Rise – May 3, 2018.
• Rates – There Are Other Options – February 8, 2018.
• Editorial – Rate Variation Circus – January 31, 2018.