On Thursday 9 May, Lithgow Mayor Maree Statham attended the Local Government NSW (LGNSW) Rural & Regional Summit in Sydney. At the summit, Mayor Statham took the opportunity to raise critical matters with the Minister for Local Government and the Minister for Regional New South Wales.
The Minister for Local Government, The Hon. Ron Hoenig MP, spoke on the Legislative Council's inquiry into the ability of local governments to fund infrastructure and services. The Minister also spoke of an overhaul of the Emergency Services Levy - Councils currently fund 11.7% of the costs of fire and emergency services in NSW. A recent LGNSW survey indicated that the impact of cost shifting was more than $460 per ratepayer annually.
The Premier the Hon. Chris Minns MP also spoke at the summit, about initiatives to ease the housing crisis in NSW and thanked Mayors and Councillors for their work in local communities.
The Minister for Regional New South Wales, The Hon. Tara Moriarty MLC spoke on the $350 million NSW Regional Development Trust Fund. Mayor Statham raised the impact scrapping the Great Western Highway upgrade has on travel times from the Lithgow LGA to Sydney.
The Rural & Regional Summit provided an opportunity for rural Mayors to discuss issues and challenges affecting their communities with NSW Government and Opposition representatives and to strengthen their unified approach to advocacy.
