As costs to maintain Council owned assets soar and Councils consider rate increases to meet the burden and the backlog of maintenance and renewal that continues to mount the reality that a lot of that burden is that ratepayers are continuing to carry the added weight of roads that should be State funded.
The NSW Government has confirmed that no regional roads had been transferred under the Liberals and Nationals 2019 election commitment to reclassify and transfer 15,000 kilometres of roads.
NSW Shadow Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Jenny Aitchison said, “The Nationals’ 2019 signature regional roads election commitment is, for all intents and purposes, dead in the water.
“After nearly four years, the Government has failed to take back one single kilometre of any regional roads in the state.
“With a year of intense floods like we have had, the Government has let down Councils, who have been desperate for these roads to be taken back.
“Once again, the hopes of regional motorists and cash strapped regional councils have been dashed that the glacial roll out of the program would be sped up, and provide some real relief for road users.
NSW Shadow Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said Councils and regional and rural communities are begging for assistance and the Government’s failure to deliver their election promise almost 4 years on is an absolute disgrace.
“The Government committed no money to this commitment until last financial year, and since then has been happy to let it sit in the Government coffers rather than getting on and delivering for regional drivers.
“I have held roundtables all across the state with many stakeholders and the government’s failure to deliver on this important program is certainly a high priority for all regional communities.
“This is just another example of how this tired and lazy 12 year old Liberal National Government continues to neglect our regional and rural communities.”
Pothole repairs on George Bass Drive - Photo ESC
