Call for town centre service boost

The Peninsula Chamber of Commerce has called on Gosford Council to boost town centre maintenance and security funding to $280,000 at the renewal of the Peninsula street cleaning, maintenance and security contract in July.

"The street cleaning, maintenance and security contract for Woy Woy, Ettalong Beach and Umina Beach comes up for tender in July and it is essential that the council boosts the available funding so as to provide an upgraded and more sustainable service," said Chamber President Mr Matthew Wales.

"For years, the Peninsula has been the poor cousin to the Gosford CBD in terms of maintenance dollars.

"We receive less than a third of what is spent in the Gosford town centre when in fact we have very similar demands.

"At present, Gosford Council allocates a paltry $80,000 to undertake all the street cleaning, all the street maintenance and all the day time security in each of the town centres.

"Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the hard working ACS contractors, this budget only allows two staff which have to be rotated each day in each town centre," said Mr Wales.

"With our town centres growing steadily busier and with business thriving in places like Ettalong Beach, the council has to start getting serious about allocating adequate funds to deliver appropriate services.

"We need $280,000 recurrent funding each year and it needs to start now."

Mr Wales said that the lack of maintenance funding often resulted in only cosmetic cleanups rather than intensive maintenance that was required to preserve the civic infrastructure.

"The footpaths in our town centres need to be steam cleaned more often, our gardens need to be better maintained, footpaths need to be upgraded and made safe and security needs to be extended into the evening hours especially on Friday and Saturday nights," said Mr Wales.

"Terrigal has recently been given a boost in maintenance and security funding with security officers now patrolling streets on key nights.

"If this can be done for Terrigal, then Peninsula CBD's deserve the same".

Press release, February 21 Matthew Wales, Peninsula Chamber of Commerce