Lithgow City Council has announced a shift away from the Central West region, aligning itself with Western Sydney.
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After voting not to join the new Central NSW Joint Organisation earlier this year, Lithgow announced on July 26 that it would be accepting an invitation to join the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils Ltd (WSROC).
In a statement, the council said a series of meetings had been held between Lithgow City Council general manager Graeme Faulkner and mayor Stephen Lesslie, and WSROC executives.
It was believed that Lithgow would be “strategically positioned” to support Sydney’s growth west, while opportunities for transport connections and affordable housing were also considered.
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“There is the opportunity to connect regional tourism in Western Sydney with tourism on the other side of the Blue Mountains,” Cr Lesslie said.
“Lithgow Council will continue to support the membership of CENTROC as it transitions to the Joint Organisation model that Lithgow Council decided not to participate in, and should an opportunity for Lithgow Council to continue in an “observer” capacity with that successor entity without compromising our position, then we would certainly consider that opportunity.”
WSROC members include:
- Blue Mountains City Council
- Blacktown City Council
- Cumberland Council
- Fairfield City Council
- Hawkesbury City Council
- Liverpool City Council
- City of Parramatta
Lithgow City Council’s main concerns about joining the new Central NSW Joint Organisation was, while Centroc was a voluntary organisation, the JO was state-sanctioned, and much harder to leave if the need arose. There was also a concern about potential ongoing costs.