Newcastle City Council Rating Well

BY BRIDGET GUNN

Newcastle City Council is on track to have a surplus of $5.4 million in the 2016 and 2017 financial year.

This will mean the Council should clear its backlog of infrastructure by 2020.

This surplus is a result of councils decision in 2014 to increase rates by almost fifty percent, which has seen rates increase by more than $500.

Local winners of the NSW State Budget

BY JARROD MELMETH

In her second budget, NSW Treasurer Gladys Berekijlian has delivered a $3.5 billion surplus with Newcastle and the Hunter receiving over $255 million. $142 million of that will go towards the construction of Newcastle's Light Rail.

Key highlights from the 2016-17 budget for the Hunter include:

• $142 million for Newcastle Light Rail.
• $35 million for Cormorant Road, Industrial Drive to Stockton Bridge works.
• $29 million to deal with mining voids in Newcastle, developing a new Muswellbrook sewerage treatment plant, redevelopment of the Maitland Sports ground complex and the Newcastle cruise terminal.
• $18 million for the Hunter Infrastructure and Investment Fund.
• $14 million for freight rail between Hexam and Fassifern. 
• $10.3 million to complete the final stages of the John Hunter Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
• $7 million to continue planning for M1 extension to Raymond Terrace.
• $6.2 million for the NSW Government response to the Williamtown Royal Australian Air Fore Base Contamination
• $6.2 million for planning and site preparation for the new Maitland Hospital.
• $5 million to continue the Newcastle Inner City Bypass project.
• $3.8 million for upgrades of the TAFE Hunter Institute Newcastle Campus Block D.

The surplus is expected rise to 3.7 billion on the back of sales including the $1.7 billion lease of the Port of Newcastle and other assets from the Hunter.

Gladys Berekijlian. Photo Courtesy of The Newcastle Herald.