Federal funds won't narrow infrastructure gap: councils
Posted
North-west Victorian councils say an increase in Federal Government roads funding will not help municipalities to catch up on the infrastructure work that is needed.
The Commonwealth has announced increased funding for councils across the state.
Wimmera-Mallee councils are generally getting an extra $200,000 to $500,000 than they did last year.
The North West Municipal Association spokesman, Reid Mather, says it is an increase of about 3 per cent.
"While I'm exceptionally appreciative of the grants, the reality is that the funding assistance, in real dollar terms since amalgamations, has fallen by a third," he said.
"So essentially that's when you start to see a cost shift and infrastructure gap start to grow."
