Singleton Council is calling for any expressions of interest from the private farming sector to assist in the management of the Regional Livestock Market upgrade that was funded a $6 million grant from the Government's Resources for Regions project.
The Resources for Regions program was introduced back in 2012 to help support mining-affected communities within NSW.
Since then, the Government's program has funded Singleton council with over $31 million which has contributed to the revitalisation of the Singleton Town Centre, renovations to the Gym and Swim and the upgraded cycleway along Hermitage road.
The town's most recent grant was lodged to help assist them with an upgrade in their agricultural sector which aims to be completed by February next year. Unfortunately for the city council, recent reviews found the current operation to be unsustainable and nonprofitable for the local community, leaving the council in a deficit of $250, 000 last financial year.
Singleton Mayor Sue Moore says that the council aren't specialists in running sales yards so to benefit the community they will be outsourcing to find operators that can manage the facility to best of their ability but we won't be seeing the sales yards up on the market anytime soon.
"The purpose of the grant was for agriculture and to continue the economic benefits of agriculture. It's more about who is the best person to run the sale yards and scope a field before we can move forward with any other decisions," Cr Moore says.
The council is aware that the current situation of the livestock sale yard needs to change and hopes to come to a more successful conclusion early next year.
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Image source: VisitNSW of a Livestock sale yard
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