Tamworth Regional Council (TRC) was established in March 2004, amalgamating the northern NSW shires of Barraba, Manilla, Nundle and Parry and the city of Tamworth. It is one of the biggest councils in inland NSW, with a population of over 58,000 spread over an area three times as large as the Sydney basin.
Tamworth is the regional hub, home to more than 50,000 people. Other population centres include the towns of Manilla, Barraba, Nundle and Kootingal, as well as another 17 hamlets and villages. Tamworth was the first city in the southern hemisphere to introduce electric street lighting, in 1888, and it remains one of NSW’s most vibrant regions, with a flourishing modern economy and a strong sense of community.
TRC is the winner of the 2009 A R Bluett Award for excellence in local government and the 2009 state and national Tidy Town awards.
| TRC operates an impressive array of community facilities, including six libraries, six museums, six public swimming pools, three community centres and one art gallery. We use a community-centred approach to encourage local communities to participate in planning and decision making processes and have established 44 section 355 committees, more than any other council in NSW. A key challenge facing TRC is allowing for continued growth in the area, while managing our footprint in a sustainable way. The most significant current development involves 850 hectares on the northern fringe of Tamworth city, which will ultimately support a population of 10,000 – 15,000 people. TRC has the biggest network of local and regional roads in NSW, making it easy to get to and get around the region. Tamworth is a green region, in more than one sense. The council area contains around 250 separate parks or pieces of bushland and Council manages 3,275 hectares of open space, including sporting fields. Council is also a water management authority. We operate five sewerage treatment works, seven different water schemes and six water treatment plants, as well as delivering water to nearly 20,000 connections. |
| Tamworth Regional Council was named the winner of the AR Bluett Memorial Award in October 2009, acknowledging the Council as having shown the greatest relative progress over 2008/2009 of any of the 152 local government bodies in NSW. |
| The Tamworth region is about three times the size of Sydney basin or the same area as Lake Eyre. Approximately three quarters of the region’s population lives within the city of Tamworth with the balance residing in the small townships of Manilla, Barraba, Kootingal, Nundle, and the villages of Attunga, Bendemeer, Dungowan, Duri, Moonbi, Somerton, Woolbrook and Woolomin, and various rural localities. |
| The Tamworth region was first visited by explorer John Oxley in 1818 and this account of the history of white settlement of the Tamworth region concentrates on the period 1818 to around the 1880s. It is a blend of historical research from a variety of sources. |
| Council's organisational structure comprises five directorates, which are Corporate and Governance, Business and Economic Development, Planning and Community Services, Regional Services and Water Enterprises, as well as the Office of the General Manager and an Executive Office which includes the Ombudsman and legal services. |
| This snapshot of Tamworth Regional Council’s vital statistics contains information ranging from census figures through to Council's estimated budget expenditure for 2009/2010, which could assist students, businesses and new residents to the Tamworth Region. |
| Council's executive management team comprises the General Manager, Mr Paul Bennet; the Director Corporate and Governance, Mr Robert Charlesworth; the Director Planning and Community Services, Ms Jackie Kruger; the Director Regional Services, Mr Peter Resch; the Director Water Enterprises, Mr Bruce Logan; Director Human Services, Ms Marie O'Connell and Assistant General Manager and General Counsel, Mr Peter Thompson. |