Canterbury Bankstown Council sought the increase – an extra $40 million each year – to help address a rates imbalance, as well as meeting the future needs of the community and maintaining its financial health and stability.
IPART Acting Chair Deborah Cope said she appreciated the large number of submissions received from ratepayers on the applications 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,” she said.
State MP for East Hills, Wendy Lindsay, said she was very disappointed that Canterbury Bankstown Council applied to increase rates by so much during this time of stress for the community.
“I would like to thank the thousands of residents who wrote to me with their submissions against Canterbury Bankstown Council’s rate hike application,” she said.
“Unfortunately, the Independent Pricing Regulator still felt it appropriate to grant the council the Special Rate Variation.
“I will never stop fighting for our community and I urge everyone to make their voices heard at the next local council elections in September this year.”
