NSW · Central West · Local council, made simple
Lithgow City Council
A large Central West council on the western edge of the Greater Blue Mountains — around 20,700 people across Lithgow, Portland, Wallerawang and surrounding villages, in a former coal and power-station district now diversifying its economy. The council runs the local services you use every week — waste, roads, water, libraries, parks, development — and sets your rates. Here's the snapshot, then the stuff that affects your week.
Everyday essentials
The things people actually need from the council — fast.
Get to know your council
The basics, in one tap — open any card for key facts and a link to the official source.
This year's rate rise, how it compares across NSW, and why bills differ.
2025–26 rate peg: 4.1%
Open →Budget & financesHow financially healthy the council is, measured against official benchmarks.
Meets 8 of 9 OLG financial benchmarks
Open →Crime & safetyLithgow's recorded crime rates, side by side with the NSW average.
3 of 12 major offences below the NSW rate
Open →Mayor & councillorsWho represents you — and where to read their official profiles.
Mayor: Cass Coleman
Open →Elections & votingWhen the next council election is, and how voting works.
Next election: Sat 9 Sep 2028
Open →Contact & servicesHow to reach the council and report a problem.
Customer service: (02) 6354 9999
Open →City profileThe basics: how many people live here, how big the area is.
Population: ~20,700 (2023–24)
Open →What's happening
3 updatesRecent items from Lithgow City Council's public channels, in plain language.
- Development
Wallerawang Power Station redevelopment fast-tracked by NSW Government
The NSW Government agreed to fast-track Greenspot's planning proposal for the former Wallerawang coal-fired power station under the State Significant Rezoning Policy, aiming to rezone the 620-hectare site for employment, housing, tourism and recreation.
What this means for you: If the rezoning proceeds (a NSW Government planning process, not solely a council decision), the closed power-station site west of Lithgow could host new industries, homes and recreation as the area diversifies beyond coal; rezoning was anticipated in the first half of 2026.
Source: Village Voice — Next steps for the old Wallerawang Power Station
- Policy
Weekly FOGO green bin added to the kerbside service
From March 2024 the council added a green-lidded FOGO (food and garden organics) bin to the kerbside collection, collected weekly alongside the red general-waste bin, with recycling collected fortnightly.
What this means for you: Households can now put food scraps as well as garden waste in the green bin each week, diverting organics from landfill ahead of the NSW-wide FOGO requirement for all households by 2030.
- Policy
IPART approves permanent 45.70% special rate variation for 2023–24
IPART approved Lithgow City Council's application for a permanent one-year special variation lifting its general rates income by 45.70% (including the 3.70% rate peg) in 2023–24, retained permanently in the rate base. The impact varied by category — residential up 27.5%, business up 53.7%, farmland up 27.5% and mining up 134.7%.
What this means for you: The variation raised the base level of rates income the council collects; ordinary annual rate pegs then apply on top of that higher base. How each property's bill changed depended on its rating category and land value.
Source: IPART — Lithgow City Council special variation determination 2023–24
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