It's official, the state of the roads in the Wingecarribee Shire are the most complained about.
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At the latest council meetings, Mayor Duncan Gair took the opportunity in his mayoral minute to discuss the lack of federal assistant grants and funding to local councils, as well as his plans to highlight to state and federal government the state of roads in the Wingecarribee Shire, particularly unsealed roads and Wombeyan Caves Road.
"We had a meeting with the local government association - councils are under a great deal of financial stress, especially in NSW with the rate capping," he said.
"We are supporting what they are calling a fairer funding agreement with the federal and state government, especially under the federal assistance grant to ensure a 'Fairer Share' for all local government councils.
"There was a freeze on grants, and when it was re-introduced it wasn't with CPI adjustments. The estimation is there was about $925 million gone in funding from councils.
"I would like to have a briefing session with the councillors to discuss the feasibility of mounting a 'Sealing of Country Roads' Program with funding contributions from the State and Federal Governments for approximately five to seven years to assist Regional and Rural Councils across the state bring unsealed roads up to an acceptable sealed standard."
The current cost estimation to bring the roads such as Belmore Falls, Wombeyan Caves Road, Canyonleigh Road and many more is $246 million dollars. In the 2021 predicted budget, Wingecarribee Shire only has $19 million dollars.
Councillor Gair stated that it was unfair, and that his grandchildren would die before any of the roads were sealed despite being the 21st century.
"So unless the state and federal government step in, we will just be treading water and we can only put our rates up to a certain degree to cover these projects."