TAMWORTH Regional Council is set to become the next in a line of NSW councils banding together to fight for a fairer go for non-metro cities.
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Mayor Col Murray sparked the push to see regional NSW cities group-up and lobby the state government on shared issues.
Out of 16 councils invited, “Regional Cities NSW” has already secured commitments from four councils.
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And Tamworth will become the fifth when council votes on it at Tuesday night’s meeting.
Cr Murray is confident Regional Cities NSW will help increase the ability of outer-lying centres to leverage better outcomes for their communities.
“The strength of numbers can provide real momentum and a stronger voice,” he said.
“This has certainly been the case in Victoria where the 10 largest cities outside of Melbourne work together on issues and projects of mutual interest which affect regional cities in that state.”
Cr Murray said he is confident the new alliance will be able to achieve real change in regional NSW.
“A recent workshop of NSW Inland Forum members established a short term agenda for Regional Cities NSW to ensure it is more than a talk-fest on regional issues,” he said.
“It will have set actions and goals, with one of the first being to develop a strategic plan so that member councils and all levels of government understand the strategic intent of the alliance.”
It is proposed each council pay $10,000 a year to fund the new alliance.
The first funding commitment will be $5,000 for the first half of 2019.