Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.A blue-ribbon Sydney council that controversially received $90 million under a NSW government merger fund, now the subject of an inquiry, says the money was just a down payment of almost $260 million owed as a result of the bungled amalgamation process.
Hornsby Shire Council was given $90 million, part of which was allocated to transform a disused quarry into a park. "It is essential for your inquiry to note that HSC was the most severely affected and financially disadvantaged of any council in NSW as a result of the Government's 2016 merger decisions," the submission reads.Mr Head said the council had lobbied hard to persuade the government that compensation was due, "particularly with respect to the disastrous ongoing financial and other impacts imposed on a much smaller and less sustainable HSC".
Many councils have complained that promised savings from the mergers haven't been realised. A NSW government spokesperson said the state had provided record funding to support the new councils, with more than $627 million for upfront costs of amalgamation and infrastructure.
AngusGthompson So, Hornsby Council is 'thankful for the $90 million it has so far received'. I wonder how Canterbury Bankstown is going without the $90 million or whatever other $ amount it has not received.
AngusGthompson My take on this... If 'Working Advice Notes' indicating the Premier's 'comfort' with allocating monies from the Stronger Communities Fund were shredded, and electronic versions deleted, it seems clear there has been a breach of the State Records Act and Regulation.