MidCoast Council is calling on State and Federal governments to "urgently deliver comprehensive and multifaceted financial support and stimulus packages to local government" in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Mayor David West warned that if additional assistance is not provided, council may be forced to cut services, infrastructure maintenance and staff.
A mayoral minute at the council meeting on Wednesday, April 22, supported a campaign being coordinated on behalf of the NSW sector by Local Government NSW (LGNSW) and at a national level by the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA).
In his minute, the mayor congratulated NSW and Federal Governments on their stewardship during this crisis and committed council to working in partnership to protect community health and sustain local economies through this crisis.
"It is critical that the local government sector receives adequate funding and resources to coordinate and deliver the goods and services needed as we navigate through, and recover from, natural disasters and the new challenges presented by COVID-19 and its massive impacts on people and our local economies," Mayor West said.
"It should be noted that NSW is currently the only state where pension concessions are not fully funded by the relevant state sovernment. Consequently, this has a direct impact on council's ability to fund essential services to our community.
"Council seeks urgent financial assistance from the Federal Government and NSW State Government to maintain infrastructure, services and employment as well as funding to give council the capacity to provide assistance to the community."
In detail:
That MidCoast Council calls for the packages to include the following measures:
- Increasing Financial Assistance Grants payments to 1% to help councils maintain essential functions and services, acknowledging the increased costs and mounting revenue losses arising from COVID-19 (and drought and bushfire where affected) as well as giving councils capacity to provide hardship assistance to businesses and residents.
- Immediate financial assistance to support council employees.
- Providing stimulus funding to councils for projects that will help sustain council operations and boost local economies. This could be achieved through increasing or bringing forward funding under existing funding programs or introducing new programs.
- Increased access to TAFE, vocational education and training (VET) and other apprenticeship opportunities that council staff can undertake to address skill shortages, especially for staff in non-essential services who are unable to be redeployed.
- NSW State Government to fully fund pensioner rebates to assist in offsetting the impacts on council rates and other revenues as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. NSW State Government freeze/defer the intended 2020/2021 increase in the State Emergency Services Levy.
MidCoast Council will write to the local Federal MP Dr David Gillespie, and State MPs, Stephen Bromhead, Leslie Williams, Michael Johnsen and Kate Washington, Prime Minister Scott Morrison, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenburg, NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet, NSW Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock, Federal Minister for Local Government Mark Coultan, Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese, NSW Opposition Leader Jodi McKay, Federal Shadow Minister for Local Government Jason Clare and NSW Shadow Minister for Local Government Greg Warren to confirm their support for increased financial assistance and stimulus funding for local government to help councils maintain essential services and employment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
MidCoast Council endorsed Local Government NSW's sector-wide campaign to obtain financial assistance, employment support and stimulus funding for the local government sector.
MidCoast Council will advise LGNSW president Linda Scott of the passage of this Mayoral Minute.
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