MEDIA RELEASE 11.01.2021 CHAMBER OPPOSES COUNCIL RATE RISE

MEDIA RELEASE

CHAMBER OPPOSES COUNCIL RATE RISE

The Peninsula Chamber of Commerce has today voiced serious concerns over the proposed Council rate rise of between 10% and 15% following the disastrous Council operating losses over the last two years of over $200M.

“The Peninsula business community is bitterly disappointed and deeply concerned with the staggering operating losses of over $200M and accumulated debt of $565M racked up by Central Coast Council”, said Peninsula Chamber President Matthew Wales.

“These are numbers that the ordinary business person is struggling to come to terms with and the potential implications this will have on the delivery of services to the business community”.

“It really beggars belief that the suspended Councillors and Council senior staff could have allowed this situation to spiral so incredibly out of control”, said Matthew Wales.

“An now the Administrator is proposing a rate hike of between 10% and 15% to try and claw back revenue to maintain essential services”.

“We are already seeing a dramatic drop in maintenance not only in our town centres but also across our community including parks and reserves. Everywhere you look we have grubby streets, overgrown parks and badly maintained roads”, said Matthew Wales.

“Landlords and business operators are already doing it tough coming out of the COVID-19 disaster so the last thing we need is a rate hike that will add a further layer of financial burden on business people”.

“We are all asking why we are now expected to pay for the financial mismanagement of the Council  when we had entrusted them with a duty of care to look after the financial interests of the community”, said Matthew Wales.

“Maybe the Administrator needs to put the cleaners through the Council organisation, sell off surplus land and introduce greater efficiencies before slugging the ratepayer with a massive rate hike”.

“This is why the Chamber has written to the Minister for Local Government, Shelley Hancock calling for an inquiry into the disastrous financial mismanagement of the Council so as to ensure that those responsible are held accountable and also to ensure that those same Councillors are not re-instated in April 2021 when the Administrator completes his administration process”, said Mathew Wales.