Liverpool Plains Shire Council to apply to IPART for permanent rate variation, community consultation unleashes firm resistance

But the move has been met with angst in the community.

Liverpool Plains residents want council to reconsider an application to increase rates, fearing it will cause further hardship for pensioners, and not result in increased services.

After a meeting this week, council resolved to apply to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) for a rate increase of 18.1 per cent for the 2023/24 financial year.

The council had previously been granted a temporary special rate variation of 18.1 per cent for two years, but that is set to run out this financial year.

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It comes after the pricing watchdog set this year's rate peg at 3.7 per cent.

Mayor Doug Hawkins said the extra revenue is crucial for council to invest in road maintenance and they will face a loss of $800,000 without the rise.

"The adverse weather events of the past few years have made the task of maintaining an renewing assets even more challenging," Cr Hawkins said.

If approved the rate increase would allow more than $1.1 million to go towards road infrastructure.

But locals have hit back at the decision to apply for the permanent rate rise, following community consultation in November last year, when council received 12 public submissions and 39 survey responses from concerned residents.

One resident said they feared for the livelihoods of older community members if they were hit with extra rates.

"Pensioners and low income people will, and are, finding it hard to pay bills plus put food on the table at this time of COVID and inflation," they wrote.

Another concerned citizen said they should not be expected to pay more rates unless they were also getting a "pay rise" to help foot the bill.

Other residents suggested council should consider an amalgamation with surrounding councils to better handle their costs, or encourage more people to move to the region to generate more revenue.

If the permanent rate variation is approved by IPART, the money generated from rates will go to grading unsealed roads, bitumen maintenance, drainage, patching, slashing and gravel renewals.

Replacing bridges at Bridge Road and Gurton Street will require $225,000, rural road reseals are expected to cost $250,000 and rural sealed road rehabilitation will set council back $500,000.

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