IPART's announced changes to rate pegging are a 'good step forward' but won't change the past

Beginning soon, rate pegs will be decided on a case-by-case basis, with each local council receiving their own peg based on their unique circumstances.

The core range for rate pegging will sit between 4.5 per cent and 5.5 per cent, but councils seeing rapid growth could see rate pegs as high as 8.2 per cent.

Griffith mayor Doug Curran said that it would be a good step going forward - but it wouldn't undo the damage that has already been done.

"Whilst it's an improvement going forward, it doesn't remedy the sins of the past," he said.

"If you're in a poor position from the past, it won't fix it. Councils that were already in trouble, this won't fix it."

He added that the major change to the method was that it would be looking forward rather than backwards.

"I believe it is a true acknowledgement that the system is broken which is what we've said. We've been managed by a system that can't manage what we're dealing with at the moment and this is an acknowledgement of that."

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Local Government NSW President, Councillor Darriea Turley said that the change would make councils more sustainable in the long-term, and had been a long time coming.

"Councils need to be able to pay for the services communities expect and deserve and this new rate peg methodology goes part way towards making that achievable," she said.

"Local Government NSW has been advocating for change for years and I'm confident that this will provide better outcomes for councils moving forward."

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