Inner City area key to COVID recovery

The Inner City Group, which is made up of the Mayors and CEOs from the cities of South Perth, Perth, Subiaco, Vincent and the Town of Victoria Park is working in partnership to provide assistance to ensure businesses, their customers and staff can safely and confidently re-open for business. 

The Group, which officially formed in March 2019, met recently to discuss a collaborative approach to supporting our local communities. 

The Inner City area will be a key driver of the rebound and recovery from COVID-19 with over $57 billion in Gross Regional Product between five local government areas and a combined 250,000 jobs to reignite. 

The State’s largest concentration of businesses and associated workforce are located within the Inner City Group boundaries. With over 31,500 businesses, employing a significant proportion of the Perth population, generating substantial goods and services, the managed re-opening of this region is critical to the economic health of the State. 

The Local Governments welcome the recent announcements by the Federal and State Governments in relation to Council funding and the easing of restrictions to enable businesses to get back to work. They are now eagerly awaiting the lifting of further restrictions on gathering sizes to help our hospitality industries as part of the Phase 3 roadmap. 

While the full local economic effects of COVID-19 are yet to be fully understood, each local government has rolled out a response and recovery package with an estimated combined value of more than $30 million, providing support to manage the social and economic impact of the crisis now and into the future. 

Some of the measures on the table include a freeze on rates revenue and other fees and charges, local business support, rent relief for local government owned properties, free or discounted parking and assistance packages for vulnerable and at risk members of the community. 

All levels of government will be looking at job stimulation in the recovery process and the Inner City Group will be a major partnership in that recovery. Each Local Government has a number of community benefit projects ready to be fast tracked, to help provide confidence in the economy and stimulate jobs growth. 

Working together as a group of neighbouring local governments enables stronger advocacy, to elevate and empower the communities we represent, within the inner City area. 

City of Subiaco Mayor Penny Taylor said the COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented experience for all in our communities. The Inner City Group of Councils has collectively committed more than $30 million of funding and efforts to support our residents, businesses, workers and visitors to survive and thrive again as we move through recovery. 

Town of Victoria Park Mayor Karen Vernon said it will take the collective efforts of all our Councils to address the significant long term impacts of COVID-19 on the community as a whole, and continued collaboration to achieve sustainable recovery outcomes into the future.