Brad Bunting Says Blacktown Budget Keeps 11.54 Per Cent Rate Rise After Extraordinary Meeting

Blacktown City Council has confirmed its 2026/27 budget and rates position after further debate at an extraordinary meeting, leaving the city with an adopted overall general rates income increase of 11.54 per cent and a promise to keep delivering local services in one of Sydney's fastest-growing areas.

The council's 13 July update says councillors considered motions seeking to change the rates position adopted at the 29 June meeting, then confirmed that earlier decision with some modifications. The practical outcome is that council will not apply the full amount approved by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal, but will still proceed with the 2026/27 budget, asset renewal and operation of new and upgraded facilities.

Mayor Brad Bunting said the council had found a balance between the impact on households and businesses and the need to fund services residents use. The council release says the adopted rating structure is based on an 11.54 per cent overall increase in general rates income. It also says the decision provides almost $10 million a year for maintaining and renewing roads, footpaths, stormwater, parks, playgrounds, sports fields and other council assets.

For Blacktown residents, the debate is not abstract. The council area is home to more than 460,000 people and is still growing quickly, so the budget has to cover both everyday maintenance and the extra operating costs that arrive when new pools, libraries, community hubs and cultural facilities open. A pool or library can be funded through a capital grant, but once it opens, staff, cleaning, maintenance, utilities, insurance and programming become recurring local costs.

The council's 29 June budget release put the scale in clearer terms. It said the 2026/27 budget had reached $1 billion, reflecting the services, facilities and infrastructure needed for a city of Blacktown's size. It said the budget supports roads, drainage, parks, playgrounds, libraries, pools, sporting fields, community facilities and customer service. It also said the council manages $7.1 billion in community assets and had invested $265 million in asset renewal over the previous decade.

The rate increase remains politically sensitive because households and small businesses are already dealing with higher living and operating costs. IPART approved a special variation, but the council release notes that approval sets the maximum increase and does not require council to apply the full amount. It also says IPART allows councils to defer and catch up over time. That leaves the council trying to show it is applying less than it could while still collecting enough to maintain a fast-growing city.

The most important local question is delivery. Residents will judge the decision less by the percentage and more by whether roads are repaired, footpaths are usable, parks are maintained, drainage works during storms, and new facilities stay open at standards people can see. If the council can point to visible improvements, the increase may be easier to defend. If services slip, the budget decision will stay live long after the extraordinary meeting.

For Greater Sydney, Blacktown is also a test case for growth-area finance. The city is expected to absorb more people, more housing and more regional infrastructure, but much of the day-to-day service burden still lands with local government. The 11.54 per cent decision shows the pressure that creates: a council trying to reduce the immediate rates hit while still funding the ordinary assets that make growth suburbs work.