The draft Delivery Program 2025-29 is a four-year plan that sets out the principal activities that the elected Council commits to deliver in its term to achieve the vision of the Community Strategic Plan.

Operational Plan and Budget 26/27 sets out Council's services, planned activities, key projects and expenditure for the financial year 26/27. Council tracks its performance against its actions and measures through quarterly progress reports and the Annual Report.

The draft budget is based on the following main factors:

• Council will continue providing the same level of services the community currently receives.
• Enough funding is set aside to properly maintain all Council‑owned buildings and facilities.
• The NSW Government, through IPART, has capped Council rate increases for 2026–27 at 4.4%.
• Most fees and charges for 2026–27 will increase in line with inflation (3.6% CPI), unless stated otherwise.
• Staff wages are expected to rise by 4.0%, pending the final decision on the updated State Award.
• Almost $5 million in savings has been built into the budget through the Financially Sustainable Service Delivery (FSSD) Program:
  • In February, Council noted $3.43 million in operating savings for 2026–27.
  • Councillors then asked for further savings equal to at least 0.5% of the total budget.
  • An additional $1.55 million in savings has since been identified.
  • This brings total savings in the draft 2026–27 budget to $4.98 million, or 1.6% of the previously approved budget.
• The budget funds Council priorities across the next four years, including both day‑to‑day services and capital works.
• The capital works program focuses on reducing the backlog of infrastructure repairs, while staying within Council’s financial capacity.
• Depreciation funding has increased to reflect higher asset renewal costs and new infrastructure coming online.

The draft Fees & Charges for 2026/27 provide for a general increase of 3.6% unless otherwise stated in the Fees and Charges Change Log (download to view).

The draft Long Term Financial Plan 2026-36 (LTFP) sets out the ten-year budget forecast, underlying assumptions, sensitivity analysis, financial modelling for possible scenarios and methods of monitoring financial performance.

The LTFP sets out two scenarios, both of which maintain current service levels:

1. Scenario 1 – Business as Usual, maintain existing service levels
2. Scenario 2 – Addresses the Infrastructure Asset Renewal Backlog

Scenario 1 has been recommended and used for the 2026–27 Budget because it provides a stable and sustainable financial outlook.

Key features of this scenario include:

• Small but steady budget surpluses over the next 10 years, helping Council manage unexpected costs or financial pressures.
• All major financial performance measures remain above required benchmarks for the full 10‑year period, indicating Council can meet its commitments, manage debt responsibly, and keep infrastructure in good condition.

Rates map Inner West 2026-27