Liverpool Plains Shire Council is committed to ensuring its remains financially sustainability so that we can continue delivering the services, facilities and infrastructure our community relies on, both now and into the future.
Like many rural and regional councils across New South Wales, Liverpool Plains Shire Council is facing increasing financial pressures. The cost of maintaining roads, parks, community facilities, water and sewer infrastructure continues to rise, while Council's ability to increase revenue remains constrained. At the same time, communities rightly expect safe, reliable and well-maintained services and infrastructure.
To better understand these challenges and identify practical solutions, Council commissioned an independent Financial Sustainability Review in 2025. The review provided a detailed assessment of Council's financial position and identified a range of actions to strengthen our organisation's long-term financial sustainability.
The findings of the review have informed Council's new Financial Sustainability Strategy 2026-2030, which outlines a clear roadmap to improve Council's financial position and ensure the ongoing delivery of services to our community.
Council will progressively implement the actions identified in the Financial Sustainability Strategy and report regularly on progress through its Integrated Planning and Reporting framework. Community feedback will continue to inform Council's decision-making as we work towards achieving a financially sustainable future.
Our goal is simple: to ensure Liverpool Plains Shire Council remains financially resilient, capable of maintaining critical infrastructure, and able to continue delivering valued services for our community for generations to come.
A financially sustainable council is one that can generate enough revenue to provide the services and infrastructure its community needs today, while also maintaining and renewing those assets for future generations. Financial sustainability means:
- Maintaining a sustainable operating position,
- Having sufficient cash reserves to meet obligations,
- Investing appropriately in infrastructure and community assets,
- Managing risks and future financial challenges, and
- Making decisions that are fair to current and future generations.
Council's approach is guided by the principles of sound financial management outlined in the Local Government Act 1993, including responsible spending, sustainable infrastructure investment, effective governance and intergenerational equity.
Without long-term financial sustainability, councils can face increasing difficulty maintaining infrastructure, responding to emergencies, replacing ageing assets and delivering services at the standard expected by their communities.
Several factors are contributing to financial pressure across the local government sector, including:
- Rising construction and service delivery costs,
- Increasing compliance and regulatory requirements,
- The impacts of natural disasters on infrastructure,
- Cost shifting from other levels of government, and
- Rate-capping limiting revenue growth.
Liverpool Plains Shire Council also faces several local challenges, including ageing infrastructure, funding gaps in key services, limited unrestricted cash reserves, and the ongoing impact of a relatively small rate base.
Our Financial Sustainability Strategy sets out a practical action plan to strengthen Council's financial position over the four-year period from 2026/27 to 2030/31.
The Strategy focuses on five key objectives:
- Achieve and Maintain a Sustainable Operating Position: Ensuring Council's income and expenditure are balanced over the long term.
- Preserve and Strengthen Council's Cash Position: Building adequate cash reserves and improving financial resilience.
- Invest in Assets to Maintain Service Levels: Prioritising renewal and maintenance of existing infrastructure to support community needs.
- Improve Service Delivery Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness: Finding smarter and more efficient ways to deliver services while maintaining value for money.
- Strengthen Governance and Planning Frameworks: Improving financial planning, asset management and organisational accountability.