Circulars

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

Tim Hurst
Acting Chief Executive