Persson rejects proposal to sell off community land

A Peninsula Chamber of Commerce proposal to sell off community land as a way to pay off some of Central Coast Council's debt has been rejected by Council Administrator Mr Dick Persson.

Responding to an ABC radio interview with Chamber president Mr Matthew Wales, Mr Dick Persson called the proposal "a poorly formed view".

According to Mr Persson, it would have been helpful if Mr Wales had read the Administrator's 30-day report before going public.

Mr Wales told ABC Central Coast radio on Wednesday, January 20, that the Chamber had written to the NSW Minister for Local Government calling for a public inquiry into the Council's financial situation.

"Quite frankly I think they've got to start slashing and burning and the start point is getting rid of all of their surplus land that they have lying around this massive local government area," he said.

"There are blocks of land all over the place that council has never maintained, never looked after, supposedly earmarked for reserves or recreation but never seen a lawn mower in two years.

"You need to get rid of this land," he said.

"We've got a housing crisis on the Central Coast and you've got all this land being held by Council.

"Sell it off.

"Sell the land off and put that money towards paying off this massive debt that we've got stuck with.

"I don't care how much the Administrator or the interim CEO play it down, any rate rise as a way of trying to get us out of the bind to me is unacceptable.

"Any rate rise is an extra burden on businesses who are struggling coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic trying to make their businesses work and keep them afloat and yet the council is now proposing between a 10 and 15 per cent increase in rates to pay off this massive debt that we've got stuck with.

"Council has got to look at its assets, decide what is surplus to its needs and get rid of some of this stuff and pay off some of the debt that way.

"It is just not acceptable to come back to the rate payer and to the business community and say well you guys are going to have to dig deep to make up for the money this council has just blown.

"It is mind boggling that we have an accumulated debt of $586 million.

"How on earth did we get into that position?"

SOURCE:

Transcripts, 20 and 21 Jan 2021

Scott Levi, ABC Central Coast