NSW · Hunter · Local council, made simple
Singleton Council
A large Hunter Valley council on the Hunter River — around 25,600 people across the town of Singleton and rural villages like Broke, Bulga and Jerrys Plains, in a major thermal coal-mining and agriculture district on the New England Highway. The council runs the local services you use every week — waste, roads and bridges, water and sewer, 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: 4.3%
Open →Budget & financesHow financially healthy the council is, measured against official benchmarks.
Meets 7 of 9 OLG financial benchmarks
Open →Crime & safetySingleton's recorded crime rates, side by side with the NSW average.
5 of 12 major offences below the NSW rate
Open →Mayor & councillorsWho represents you — and where to read their official profiles.
Mayor: Sue Moore (Independent)
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) 6578 7290
Open →City profileThe basics: how many people live here, how big the area is.
Population: ~25,600 (2023–24)
Open →What's happening
3 updatesRecent items from Singleton Council's public channels, in plain language.
- Development
Singleton bypass on track to open in late 2026
The NSW and Australian governments' $700 million, 8 km Singleton bypass on the New England Highway is on track to open to traffic in late 2026. It is a Transport for NSW project (not a council project) and includes a 1.6 km bridge across the Hunter River floodplain.
What this means for you: Once open, the bypass is expected to remove around 15,000 vehicles a day from Singleton's town centre and bypass five sets of traffic lights, changing traffic through the CBD. Timing depends on weather and construction.
Source: NSW Government — Singleton bypass construction update
- Waste
Weekly FOGO green-bin service launches across Singleton
From 30 June 2025, Singleton (with Cessnock and Maitland councils) introduced a weekly food-and-garden organics (FOGO) green-bin service. Food scraps now go in the green bin with garden waste; the red general-waste and yellow recycling bins move to fortnightly collection.
What this means for you: Put food scraps (fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, bread) in your green bin, which is now collected weekly. Your red and yellow bins are collected fortnightly on alternate weeks; urban households can pay extra to keep a weekly red bin.
Source: Singleton Council — Maitland, Cessnock and Singleton councils launch FOGO service
- Election
Council adopts a shared Deputy Mayor arrangement
After the September 2024 election (at which Mayor Sue Moore was re-elected by popular vote), councillors voted for a shared Deputy Mayor arrangement: Cr Sue George serves for the first two years to September 2026, then Cr Mel McLachlan for the remainder of the term to 2028.
What this means for you: Singleton has a popularly-elected Mayor (Sue Moore) plus nine councillors elected across the whole undivided LGA. The Deputy Mayor role is being shared across the term rather than held by one councillor.
Source: Singleton Council — Council elects shared approach to deputy leadership
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