Parramatta Council’s 16 month fight with Hornsby Council for $24m
PARRAMATTA continues to fight with Hornsby Council to retain Beecroft, Epping and Carlingford over a boundary discrepancy.
Northern District Times
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PARRAMATTA continues to fight with Hornsby Council to retain Beecroft, Epping and Carlingford.
Figures provided to Parramatta Council suggest it is owed in excess of $24 million and has voted to take legal action to recover the outstanding amount.
Liberal Epping ward councillor Bill Tyrrell raised an urgent motion at last night’s Parramatta meeting to address the 16-month battle.
Boundary changes in May last year resulted in Parramatta acquiring almost 15,000 additional residents in the Beecroft, Epping and Carlingford areas. While Parramatta has treated them as ratepayers, Cr Tyrrell said Hornsby had withheld an estimated $24 million in rates and levies.
“For more than 16 months they’ve ignored the boundaries,” he said.
“We’re here to fight for the residents ... It’s time Local Government Minister Gabrielle Upton intervened.”
He said until then, Parramatta would continue to sweep streets, pick up rubbish and upgrade parks.
Epping ward councillor Lorraine Wearne said Hornsby was refusing to comply because it was “consumed by money”.
“The community don’t want to go back (to Hornsby Council),” she said.
Parramatta chief executive Greg Dyer said Hornsby was difficult to pin down from day one and described their conversations as “fruitless ongoing discussions”.
He said it was obvious they had no interest in transferring data for Parramatta to properly service the area.
Lord Mayor Andrew Wilson said Hornsby had wilfully ignored the proclamation of the new council boundaries.
“Since the whole of the Epping Town Centre was united with the one local government area in May last year — something the people of Epping have called for since I was elected in 1999 — our council has been working hard to ensure a smooth and successful transition for affected residents and we have made a great deal of progress,” Cr Wilson said.
“The feedback we have received from our residents regarding the boundary changes has been very positive ... we have been working closely with the community to improve services and ensure they are in line with community expectations.”
Improvements have included the Epping Planning Review and detailed traffic study, revamping of the Epping Aquatic Centre, enhancing street cleaning and improving parks and open spaces.
A new domestic waste collection service will also reduce fees by more than $30 for residents who live in the former Hornsby Council area. Residents are locked out of these and other benefits including an additional $100 pensioner rebate until Hornsby transfers property data to Parramatta.
Parramatta Council will now investigate making an application to alter its boundary to include the total area of North Epping.
Hornsby is doing everything it can to restore its original boundary. At its meeting tonight, councillors will discuss their plans to take back their former area south of the M2 motorway.
Former Hornsby mayor Steve Russell told media in July he was seeking $129 million in compensation for lost revenue from the boundary changes dating back to May last year.
“Our residents are down the drain to the tune of $9 million a year because the government took part of Hornsby and gave it to Parramatta,” he said.
“My preferred option is us getting the whole of Epping town centre back and Carlingford stays with Parramatta.”
At Wednesday night’s Hornsby Council meeting, an item will discuss their plans to return the former council area south of the M2 motorway back to them.