May 1 2025

Dear residents and ratepayers,

We asked you to help us Create Cumberland and you didn’t disappoint.



You came out in force to tell Council what you want from us over the next ten years, and we’ve listened.

Just over 11,000 people attended a session or told us online what’s important, to help us plan for our future.

This feedback is so important, thank you!

Here’s what you told us you wanted to see over the next ten years:

• Better roads and footpaths and less traffic, making it easier and safer to get around
• More parks that are clean and well looked after with safe spaces to meet, play and exercise
• Stronger focus on things that improve our natural environment
• More local jobs, restaurants, shopping and entertainment
• Nicer venues for community and social gatherings and lower fees to hire
• More of our awesome community cultural events that celebrate us

Based on what you told us is important to you, we’ve come up with a Draft Plan for the next four years, starting with the Draft budget for next year (2025/26).

Our challenge was to meet two main objectives: (1) To give you what you want and (2) to make sure we delivered within the limits of the funding available to us.

We take great pride in the diligent financial management we’ve upheld over the last few years. Our efforts have positioned the Council strongly, enabling us to achieve these two key objectives, without the need for a substantial rate increase.

For the modest average increase of $1.50 a week to residential rates, we can deliver all of those things you have told us you want from Council.

Despite this modest increase, our average rates will remain the second lowest among all Sydney Metropolitan Councils. 

If this budget is adopted, you can expect to see an array of exciting projects take shape over the next four years. In 2025/26 alone, more than $90 million will be dedicated to major new projects and infrastructure renewals, including:

1. New Guildford Swim Centre
2. New splash park and play space in Granville Park
3. Synthetic surface at Progress Park, Auburn
4. Nemesia Street Park upgrade in Greystanes
5. All access and abilities playground at the Auburn Botanic Gardens
6. Building renewals $6.5M
7. Roads renewals $19.2M
8. Parks/Open Space renewals $17.3M
9. Footpaths (new and renewals) $5.1M

Subject to adoption of this budget, the next four years will see even more exciting projects that will transform our City. Some of those we have planned are:

1. Lidcombe Town Centre upgrade
2. Hyland Road sporting complex
3. High performance basketball centre at Wyatt Park
4. Regents Park Town Centre upgrade
5. Commencement of the new Wentworthville Community Centre
6. Merrylands swimming pool upgrade
7. New amenities building at Girraween Park
8. Wentworthville Town Centre upgrade
9. Building renewals $30.5M
10. Footpaths $20.6M
11. Parks/Open Space Renewals $15.3M
12. Roads renewals $75.12M



We’ve carefully examined ways to reduce costs for the Council services you rely on most. If this budget is adopted, here are just a few examples of how we’ll help you save:

The following categories of fees have either been reduced or made completely free in the development of the 2025/26 budget:



• Wentworthville Toy Library – Free and now being extended to Granville and Lidcombe Libraries
• Hire rates for some meeting/training rooms – Fee reduction
• Seasonal hire fees for sporting clubs – Fee reduction

The following categories of fees have seen no increase proposed for the next financial year, meaning you can continue to enjoy these spaces and services without having to pay more for hiring them:

• Public holiday rates for some of the most heavily utilised community facilities
• Casual event use fees for public spaces, including community picnic areas, which we know you love to book for gatherings at these busy times
• Community bus hire fees for all those fun trips you take in the bus
• Nutrition services fees for vital meals delivered to our most vulnerable residents
• Some social inclusion transport and program fees to make sure nobody is excluded based on their ability to pay
• Some highly attended children’s development program fees, making sure we continue to subsidise learning and social interaction/development for our children without putting added pressure on parents/carers

We have an ambitious plan for Cumberland for the next four years, with our almost $400 million Capital Works Program being our biggest ever! We hope you’re as excited as we are!

Last night Council voted to publish all the detailed information about our plans, so you can see it and tell us what you think.



Please visit the website here to see what we’ve got planned and share with us how you feel about it.