City to announce COVID-19 Community and Economic Resilience Plan

The City of Newcastle is developing a Community and Economic Resilience package, to assist Novocastrians through a period of unprecedented social and economic disruption caused by the spread of COVID-19.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said City of Newcastle is taking proactive actions that will benefit our community in what is perhaps the City’s greatest ever challenge.

“People may be isolated for periods of time, small businesses will face supply chain issues and reduced economic activity, and the unemployment rate is likely to rise.

“Collectively, we can get through this and City of Newcastle is doing all that it can to facilitate community and economic resilience.”

Part of City of Newcastle’s work includes the development of a Community and Economic Resilience Response.

“This situation requires us to consider how we can deliver economic and well-being outcomes that will support our community,” Cr Nelmes said.

“The principles we have used are about expanding existing platforms and focusing on strategic legacy items for economic and community resilience.

“For example, we will look at ways of developing our local skills base, accelerating digital literacy for small business and growing community cohesion.

“Talented and diverse teams across the City of Newcastle are also putting together measures in response to COVID-19.

“These resilience measures are being informed by international experts and seek to focus on areas where local government can support local businesses and organisations do what they do best.

“The measures will complement the previously announced Federal and NSW Government stimulus packages.

“A second phase of the resilience package likely to be announced in May will be a multi-million dollar increase in the City’s planned capital works program for the next financial year.

“Newcastle has a long history of dealing with economic adversity, which gives us the confidence to know that as a community we can get through this together. It will be challenging and have personal impact, but with community mindedness, we will come out the other side,” Cr Nelmes added.

The COVID-19 economic resilience package will be considered at Tuesday night’s ordinary council meeting and then factored into the City’s upcoming Quarterly Budget Review.

Further information about the City’s response is available at newcastle.nsw.gov.au/covid-19.