15-36 – Release of IPART’s Fit for the Future report – Announcement of Stronger Communities Fund
What’s new or changing?
- The NSW Government has released the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) Assessment of Council Fit for the Future Proposals report.
- There will be a final 30-day consultation opportunity to inform the Government’s position on local government reform and respond to the IPART findings.
- A Stronger Communities Fund has been announced for merging councils
What this will mean for your council
- Councils have until 18 November 2015 to provide feedback using the online portal on the Department of Premier and Cabinet’s website, which will be available shortly.
- For councils that are assessed as being not fit due to scale and capacity, or who neighbour a council that was not fit due to scale and capacity, the Government would also like to know, through the online portal, the merger preferences of these councils.
- Funding will be available for council mergers that are supported by merging partners and supported by the Government.
Key points
- The IPART report has found that nearly two-thirds of NSW councils are not fit for the future.
- The report found that savings of up to $2 billion could be achieved through council mergers.
Where to go for further information
- The IPART report is available at; http://www.ipart.nsw.gov.au/Home/Industries/Local_Govt/Reviews/Fit_for_the_future/Review_of_Local_Council_Fit_For_The_Future_proposals
- For further information, contact John Clark, Executive Director, Department of Premier and Cabinet on john.clark@dpc.nsw.gov.au , or Steve Orr, Executive Director, Department of Premier and Cabinet on steve.orr@dpc.nsw.gov.au .
Tim Hurst
Acting Chief Executive