Blacktown City Council has voted to reduce the size of a planned Special Rate Variation (SRV), following approval from the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART).

IPART approved Council’s application on 4 June 2026, allowing rates to increase over three years to help fund essential infrastructure, maintenance and services needed for the city’s rapidly growing population.

The original proposal would have generated an additional $90.5 million in annual income by 2028/29 through increases to residential, farmland and business rates.

However, at its meeting on 13 July 2026, Council decided to partially adopt the approved increase, reducing the additional annual income by $21 million to $69.5 million.

As a result, the general rates increase for the 2026/27 financial year has been reduced from 16.64 per cent to 11.54 per cent.

Council said the revised plan will still provide an extra $10 million each year to maintain and renew essential community assets, including roads, footpaths, stormwater systems, parks, sporting fields and playgrounds.

Funding for the operation and maintenance of projects delivered under the NSW Government’s Western Sydney Infrastructure Grants Program has been reduced to $20 million per year. Council has also removed the proposed contribution towards building two new public administration centres at Rooty Hill and Blacktown City Centre.

Instead, Council has invited tenders for future office accommodation and will consider funding options once the tender process is complete later this year.

Blacktown City is expected to grow from around 450,000 residents to more than 600,000 over the next 20 years, a population similar in size to Tasmania.

Council says income generated from population growth alone is not enough to maintain existing infrastructure, operate new community facilities or continue providing current service levels. The SRV will help meet these ongoing costs while supporting future growth.

A Special Rate Variation allows councils to increase general rates above the annual rate peg set by IPART. The approved increase will apply differently across residential and business rate categories and will permanently increase Council’s income.

In its application to IPART, Council also highlighted significant efforts to reduce costs, reporting savings of approximately $81.1 million. These included $65.6 million in one-off savings and $15.5 million in recurring annual savings, which have been incorporated into Council’s long-term financial plan.