AS decision time nears on future directions for Lithgow Council and rates notices begin to arrive, there is a new level of anxiety spreading across the community.

In the biggest wake up call in years, Council has confirmed it has been living beyond its means for a long time. Now they want to come back to Earth and want you and me to bail them out with what may well be the biggest rates increase in the convoluted history of local government in NSW.

It's not just home owners that would feel the cold hand of council financial strife. Private and business rental costs would inevitably rise and that's not good news for consumers already caught in what has been described as the most oppressive cost of living spiral in post war memory.

In a blurb circulated to ratepayers under the hand of the Mayor, Council says its '... rising costs have not kept pace with income'. Well, welcome to the club!

Council wants to seek approval for a massive 26.5 per cent ongoing increase in the residential rate and around 40 per cent for business properties with the grand plan to rake in an additional $4.75 million annually. And that's in addition to the add on's like water charges.

Whether IPART (the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal) would give the nod is another question but there's one part of the Council 'fact sheet' that has a lot of residents puzzled. That's the claim that Lithgow's ''average rate'' is just $869.26. Now Council will surely come up with facts and figures that support that meagre impost (notwithstanding we're reportedly the third highest local government are in NSW) but finding anyone who doesn't pay at least double that figure or usually much more would be a challenge.

Bit of voodoo accounting there that needs some explaining.

Without the approval, which we're being asked to vote on, Council will have to curtail its 'discretionary spending' and concentrate on essentials.

Well may we ask, don't we all?

Council will host public meetings in its towns and villages in coming weeks but voting for the preferred option closes on September 16.

The solution next door

LITHGOW'S Marjorie Jackson Oval is one of our biggest and busiest sporting areas. But it's also the only one without a dedicated car park.

And that's a huge problem with drivers forced to park on both sides of the narrow access road, creating obvious challenges, particularly when large numbers seek to arrive or leave around the same time.

Now we know Council is financially challenged but perhaps there's a sporting grant somewhere that could solve the problem with the acquisition of some of the paddock adjacent to the Westfund headquarters.

The land is probably not much good for anything else considering the known level of undermining that thwarted past development ambitions.

Respite

IT sort of restores faith in a better world when the passing of two well loved entertainers can push the horrors of the daily news cycle off the front pages, even if just for a few days. It's nice to have some strife free moments in front of the TV or sprawled out with the daily rag.

Crowd appeal

LOCAL businesses are looking forward to a boost in October when a caravan club rally descends on Lithgow for the first time in several years.

Past events centred on the showground have brought hundreds of visitors our way. Hopefully the upgrades on the Civic Ballroom will be completed by then to allow facilities to be once again utilised.

The work on the ballroom is intended to create a fully equipped evacuation centre for use in emergencies, such as was the case in the 2019/20 bushfires.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: