Local government must modernise

Local government must moderniseThe state’s local councils need to be overhauled or else they risk failing to provide essential services and infrastructure, according to the Property Council of Australia.The Property Council’s members invest, own and develop residential communities, office towers, shopping centres, retirement villages and hotels across the state.”The vast majority of councils are running a deficit and coming up short on essential service delivery,” said NSW executive director Glenn Byres.”It is clear the time for amalgamations has come and we need to create councils that are modern, professional and able to respond to community needs.”The property industry pays over $5 billion every year in rates, charges and taxes – and submits over 70,000 development applications. We need local government to work well.”And there is no more pressing case for amalgamations than Sydney – where council boundaries were set over 100 years ago.”We are Australia’s only global city and councils need to play their part in delivering on the big strategic challenges facing us.”Too many are preoccupied with myopic concerns, and suffer from constrained balance sheets that inhibit their ability to invest in infrastructure and services.”Without radical surgery, councils face more trauma as their financial position continues to deteriorate.”They need to take responsibility for their own plight – and if they won’t, then the state needs to save them from themselves.”