This year’s floods have left Singleton Council with a $15 million repair bill and climbing.
In a Mayoral Minute to this week’s Council meeting, Mayor Sue Moore plead for more assistance from the NSW and Federal Governments, as the scale and cost of repairs was beyond the reasonable scope of any local government authority and delaying works would create greater issues for the future.
“With three floods in the past 12 months alone, the impact on road infrastructure across the Singleton local government area is significant. Council staff have made a preliminary estimated cost of $15 million, but we expect this number to continue to grow,” said Mayor Sue Moore.
“As well as the impacts on our assets, we must also consider the consequences for the local economy given the local and regional road network is critically enabling infrastructure and vital for primary producers and other industries reliant on road transport for the distribution of goods to markets and ports.
“It is therefore urgent that all levels of government work together to address this issue not only for our community now, but for the future.”
Singleton Council will now write to the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, NSW Premier Dom Perrottet, NSW Opposition Leader and local members of Parliament to raise the issue.
Council also resolved to join with Local Government NSW and Country Mayors Association of NSW in declaring a Statewide Road Emergency based on an estimated $2.5 billion in road damages and resulting collapse of the local and regional road network.