In response to Scott Wilson (Echo 29 May) questioning Byron Council’s spending on roads and infrastructure, the truth is that from 2017/18 to 2022/21 the special rate variation (SRV), along with pay parking revenue and grants, raised more than $76 million for work on roads, etc. and we actually spent $99.8 million on road, bridge and drainage capital works and maintenance.
We supported a four-year SRV because elected councils over many years did not prioritise funding for roads and infrastructure, resulting in the steady deterioration of the road network. No council wants to increase rates but ignoring the problem was not an option. This resulted in a cumulative increase in rates after four years of 33.5 per cent, not the 60 per cent suggested by Mr Wilson.
What the SRV, and the implementation of pay parking, did do was signal to the NSW and Australian governments that Byron Council recognised it had a problem and was serious about trying to fix it. This paved the way for the allocation of millions of extra dollars of grant funding.
We are accountable, we are audited annually, and the information is published on our website.
What we could not account for was the unprecedented weather and flooding in 2022 which caused more than $300 million in damage to our infrastructure. We will continue to pursue funding for their repair and renewal from the NSW and Australian governments and are expecting more approvals to come shortly.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
