Hills Shire Mayor Councillor Andrew Jefferies has claimed Local Government NSW (LGNSW) have wasted taxpayers’ money in attempts to resist reform of the local government sector.
Mayor Jefferies has said that the recently commissioned report into the NSW Treasury Corp’s analysis of local government finances was unnecessary, and that the negative findings were rejected by LGNSW.
“Despite NSW being the last state in Australia to reform local government, our peak industry body continues with its head-in-the-sand approach.
“This is exactly the kind of issue that the business sector and ratepayers find so frustrating about the public sector and local government in particular.
“Collectively the industry is slow to act, resistant to change and seemingly ideologically opposed to efficiency.”
Mayor Jefferies said that local government reform, which includes amalgamations and boundary adjustments, is about ensuring that councils are equipped to deal with the challenges of the next 100 years.
“Most of the local government boundaries in NSW were drawn up in the early 1900s, yet here we are in 2015 with some councils trying to protect their own fiefdoms while they sit upon millions of dollars of debt.
“The NSW Government has introduced a consultative process called Fit For The Future which will help councils on the road towards reform.
“Rather than LGNSW assisting councils in their submissions – including identifying options and planning for change – it continues to find reasons why there should not be reform.
“The time has come where the value of this peak industry body must be questioned and The Hills Shire Council will be considering our position in the weeks and months ahead.
“If reform is not carried out with consultation it will eventually be done by direction.
“As an indication that LGNSW is not in touch with reality, the NSW Government has recently introduced proposed reduction in red tape legislation that would streamline council operations.
“As this legislation will only apply to councils who can meet reasonable performance criteria, LGNSW has objected to the legislation – in other words they have no understanding of the need for efficiency.
“How will local government ever reform itself when the leadership is opposed to any form of change?”
