The City of Newcastle 2021/2022 Budget details some $330M in spending over the next 12 months on more than 300 projects and $90.4M in upgrades and community infrastructure.
Improved footpaths, new cycleways, and stormwater upgrades to reduce flooding are among the projects under the Budget, which has received strong support from the community.
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the Budget focused on providing real benefits for the community in their everyday lives.
“Whether it’s more shade on our streets and parks, with $1 million to maintain and plant new trees, or making it easier for people to get around Newcastle, with $2.8 million for new cycleways,” Cr Nelmes said.
“We’re investing $13.7 million to improve and maintain our roads, bridges and pathways we manage on behalf of the community, while $7.7 million will be invested into projects to address localised flooding and improve stormwater systems.”
Cr Nelmes said there was $9.1M for parks, playgrounds, sporting and aquatic facilities, which included $4M towards the Newcastle Ocean Baths Stage 1 upgrades.
“City of Newcastle’s 2021/22 Budget is a commitment to providing the services that make our city an attractive and inclusive place to live and work, now and into the future.”
City of Newcastle CEO Jeremy Bath said a vital focus of the Budget was to continue on the path of financial sustainability and deliver the essential services expected of local government.
“We’re building on six years of stable and consistent budgets that have protected services and local jobs, and we will continue to carefully balance the needs of our community with the demands of good financial governance,” Bath said.
“This is so we can continue to support Newcastle as it prepares for its population to hit 200,000 over the next 20 years.”
Other highlights of the Budget include $11M for waste management, $10.5M for environmental and sustainability projects, $2M towards the expansion of the Newcastle Art Gallery, $5M on transport and $8.1M for urban centre renewals.
Some of those urban developments include the East End Public Domain Plan, Wallsend and Orchardtown Road (New Lambton) local centre upgrades, and the Wickham Masterplan.
An Economic Development Strategy will also be adopted, incorporating programs designed to upskill residents and help create local innovation ecosystems. The aim is to attract people with new ideas to the city and help grow new and existing businesses.
Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen said a skilled and diverse labour supply is critical for Newcastle to be economically competitive.
“The announcement of funding for the upgrade of Newcastle Airport for international flights is just the beginning. As a region, we need to invest in developing our businesses and people to create services and products that we can export to international markets,” Cr Clausen said.
“We’ve taken a comprehensive evidence-driven approach to developing our Economic Development Strategy, which tells us that by investing in people, their skills and networks, we can drive innovation and creativity, which leads to increased confidence, new businesses and, importantly, new jobs.”
The strategy will complement recent training and talent attraction programs, including New Skills, which provides subsidised training opportunities, and the New Move relocation program, which incentivises 30 new community-minded entrepreneurs to move to Newcastle.
Independent Councillor for Ward 1 John Church expressed some frustration with the Budget, with a forecast deficit of more than $20M and drawing down on the council’s reserves.
“Costs such as the $60,000 per week rent on the administration building in Newcastle West remain locked in, as do escalating staffing costs,” Cr Church said.
“It is good to see next year’s Budget return to a modest surplus, achieved by cutting about $25M out of the capital works budget.”
For readers interested in the detailed Budget overview, visit the City of Newcastle’s website.
Hayley McMahon