LGNSW Cost Shifting report

Local Government NSW has released its 2023 LGNSW Reporting – How State Costs Eat Council Rates (November 2023).

The report, commissioned by LGNSW and prepared by Morrison Low has found that the financial burden carried by NSW councils and communities for taking on ever-greater responsibility for state government services and infrastructure is now valued at more than $1.36 billion per year, up 78 per cent from $820 million per year in just over five years.

The report calculates that the total amount of costing-shifting to councils now represents an average of around $460 per ratepayer, per year.

The largest direct cost shift to councils is from emergency services contributions and other emergency service obligations.

The other major cost shifting examples include waste levies, rates exemptions, DAs & regulatory functions and libraries funding.

A copy of the LGNSW summary report, and full report are both included in the Document Library.