The Liverpool Plains Shire Council (LPSC) has joined the call to ease cost-shifting measures.

Mayor Andrew Hope said a number of local projects had become a reality with state government funding, but cost-shifting meant what was “given by one hand was taken by another”.

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“LPSC calls on our local MPs to take the message to parliament and their government that cost shifting is increasingly impeding council’s ability to deliver services and maintain infrastructure for communities,” Cr Hope said.

“It is a ridiculous situation that a cost shifting state-wide impost of $820 million a year now exceeds the estimated annual infrastructure renewal gap of $500 million per annum, which is the gap between what councils need to spend on their existing infrastructure and what they can actually afford.”

The mayor said cost burdens currently worn by council included: “the contribution to fire and emergency service funding, a shortfall in library funding, a shortfall in cost recovery for functions under the Companion Animal Act, only half reimbursement for pensioner rebates, a shortfall in funding for noxious weed management, the shortfall in cost recovery through the DA process”, among others

It comes after Tamworth Regional Council passed two motions at the recent Local Government NSW annual conference which called on the state government to increase its rebates to councils subsidising the rates of pensioners and the removal of Rural Fire Service assets from local government asset registers.

“The scary thing is that not only does cost shifting continue to grow, it is growing at an accelerated rate,” Cr Hope said.

“This can’t continue, or councils may well be forced to cut back further on grass-root services and facilities their communities demand.

“This whole crazy burden has got out of hand and deserves immediate action to right the wrong.”

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