Cook Shire Mayor Peter Scott is pleased with a boost to vital Works for Queensland funding. Photo: Sarah Martin.
A $1 million boost to the 2024-27 tranche of Works for Queensland funding would be a welcome shot in the arm for the largest local government in Queensland, Cook Shire Mayor Peter Scott said.
The four-year funding pot will increase to $300m to be shared across the state’s regional councils to support infrastructure projects such as water and sewerage upgrades, housing and economic development.
Cr Scott said with an area of more than 100,000 square kilometres and a population of under 5000, it was no secret Cook Shire’s rates revenue didn’t come close to covering the council’s service delivery costs.
“Factor in ongoing maintenance and the cost of depreciation of council assets and facilities, and it’s easy to see why our shire relies so heavily on grants,” he said.
“More than 86 per cent of our revenue comes from state and federal funding, and an increase to our Works for Queensland funding is a great boost for our communities.”
The 2021-24 Works for Queensland fund provided $2.2m to Cook Shire for stage one of a water and wastewater electrical upgrade, which supported 16 jobs.
