Independent expert advice
To help us best understand our financial situation, Council appointed independent experts to analyse our long term financial position. Through a number of reports Professor Brian Dollery and Professor Joseph Drew identified that Council was not financially sustainable. Council needed to urgently take steps to ensure it's financially sustainable in the long term.
The independent reports were presented to Councillors in March 2022, leading them to a number of workshops, taking an in depth look at Council’s finances.
View the independent experts' summary webinar and recommendations.
Independent expert information videos
| Part 1 | Part 2 |
| Part 3 | Part 4 |
This report provides a summary of Councils financial position. It also gives an overview of the four reports provided by the independent experts analysing Council's financial position for the next 10 years, how efficient Council is operating, land owners capacity to pay a potential rate increase and Council’s ability to repay debt given its current budget.
- Summary Report (PDF 402.6 KB).
The Financial Sustainability Report paints a picture of the Councils financial position. The report outlines a strong financial position that can no longer be maintained. It recommends a number of steps that should be taken now to ensure Council is financially sustainable in the long term.
- Report 1: Financial Sustainability (PDF 2.1 MB).
The Capacity to Pay Report looks at the income Council receives from rates, whether it is enough to cover the services we deliver and how rate charges are allocated across the different rating categories. It also examines the capacity of our residents and land owners to pay for a potential increase in rates.
- Report 2: Capacity to Pay (PDF 1.7 MB).
The Efficiency Report looks at how efficient Council is operating when compared to other similar NSW local Councils and whether the services provided by Council are considered good value for money.
- Report 3: Efficiency Report (PDF 599.8 KB).
The Debt Capacity Report looks at how much debt Council could repay within their day to day budget.
- Report 4: Debt Capacity (PDF 350 KB).
You can view a number of other webinars by Professor Joseph Drew on financial sustainability and local government here.