Federal grants up

THE City of Casey and Shire of Cardinia will this year receive increases in their federal Local Government Financial Assistance Grants.
La Trobe MP Jason Wood said Casey would receive $12,489,622 and Cardinia $6,250,139.
Casey’s allowance has increased by 4.74 per cent for an extra $565,000 and Cardinia is up 6.28 per cent for an extra $370,000.
Mr Wood said the money was to help councils provide the high quality services that communities needed and expected.
“The grants are untied, so councils can allocate the funds according to priorities,” he said.
“Funds are used by councils to provide a range of health, community, recreational, cultural and environmental services and to provide and maintain infrastructure such as roads. The grants are broken into two components, roads and general purpose.
“They are part of the ongoing assistance the Australian Government has provided to communities for more than 30 years.”