Tweed Shire Council to increase rates by 4.35 per cent for one area

NSW councils have been allowed a 2 per cent increase on rates this year, however some councils have been granted a variation above that including one Northern Rivers council.

Tweed Shire Council have been granted a rate hike of 4.35 per cent for the Kings Forest Development.

Tweed Shire Council will be allowed to increase its rates higher than the rate peg after a special variation application was approved by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal.

The council was among eight across New South Wales allowed to increase above the approved 2 per cent rate peg.

If the council adjusted its budget for the allowed variation, rates across the Tweed will increase by 4.35 per cent for anyone living in the Kings Forest subdivision or $342.

The increase will go towards funding long-term maintenance and management of environmental protection lands.

Kings Forest. Picture by Luke Marsden.

Acting Chair Deborah Cope said IPART had received a large number of submissions from ratepayers and would like to assure the community that these submissions were carefully considered.

“IPART had to balance community concerns against some councils’ demonstrated need for additional revenue to provide important community facilities such as roads, parks, playgrounds and libraries,” Ms Cope said.

Councils are also required to show that they have conducted community consultation, assessed the impact on ratepayers as well as made productivity savings where possible.

IPART has approved special variation applications for single year increases for 2021‑22 for Armidale Regional Council, Federation Council and Tweed Shire Council.

It has also approved multi‑year increases for Canterbury Bankstown Council, Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council and Georges River Council, and approved a temporary increase for Central Coast Council, and Liverpool Plains Shire Council.

The rate peg for 2021-22 is set at 2 per cent. It is the maximum percentage amount by which a council can increase its income from rates.

The full reports on all of the councils’ applications are available on IPART’s website https://www.ipart.nsw.gov.au/Home