TAMWORTH has the lowest socio-economic index (SOI) rating among its Evocities counterparts, pointing to lower average incomes and levels of education in the city.
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The rating was revealed in the Office of Local Government’s annual comparative report on NSW councils.
Tamworth Regional Council (TRC) scored 53 on its SOI in the report, which was more than 30 points behind regional university towns like Wagga Wagga, Bathurst and Armidale.
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The average rating among Tamworth’s Evocities’ counterparts, including Albury, Armidale, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange and Wagga Wagga was 73.
The rating was based on figures from the 2016 census.
The Tamworth SOI has fallen 16 points since last year’s local government report.
According to the report, TRC spent $16.45 million on cultural and recreational services in 2016/17 which meant it cost council $269.73 to provide these services for each resident in the area.
Tamworth has almost twice as many pools, libraries and public halls than any other Evocity partner, but its per capita spend on cultural and library services was less than a number of cities.
Mayor Col Murray recently said it was time for the community decide on Tamworth’s aquatic future and essentially choose between keeping the two existing city pools or forging ahead with a brand new year-round facility centre.
Bathurst Regional Council has a year-round aquatic centre on its books and the Office of Local Government report found it was paying $100 more per resident ($374.08) for its recreational and cultural facilities, but its overall spend in the sector was lower ($15.87 million).
Meanwhile the comparison also confirmed Tamworth homeowners continue to pay the cheapest rates among its similarly sized regional towns and Evocities members.
The average rates notice in Tamworth for 2016-17 was $952, however average water and sewer charges ($1387) were the highest among the regional cities. Waste charges ($295) were only marginally lower in Albury ($282).
Jacob McArthur
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
Jacob McArthur is opinions editor for The Canberra Times and Australian Community Media. As part of the Canberra Times' production team, he helps the people of Canberra and beyond get the stories they need, when they need them across a range of platforms, while helping maintain a high editorial standard. Before moving to Canberra in 2020, he started with Australian Community Media in 2015 as a journalist for The Northern Daily Leader in Tamworth where he kept a close eye on Tamworth Regional Council. Jacob was also the co-host of ACM's Water Pressure podcast where he and Jamieson Murphy took a deep dive on issues and key decisions arising during one of the region's worst droughts on record.
