Project background

Our draft budget (Delivering Newcastle 2040) was developed through community input, service planning and long‑term financial planning.

All of our services help deliver this work day to day. Each team is responsible for carrying out the actions and projects in the Delivery Program and yearly Operational Plan. Together, this turns the community’s long‑term priorities in Newcastle 2040 (our Community Strategic Plan) into real results, supported by our annual budget and long‑term financial planning.

We track progress throughout the year and report it openly, so you can see how and when we’re delivering on what matters most to our community.

The Delivery Program

The Delivery Program is a commitment to the community on what the elected Council will achieve during its four-year term.

It includes the actions we will deliver, the major projects planned over the four‑year period and the measures we use to track our progress.

The Operational Plan

The Operational Plan identifies the projects, programs, and actions that we will deliver over 12 months, commencing from 1 July.

It sets out the specific actions and projects planned for the year ahead, organised by the services responsible for delivering them, along with our annual budget.

Thanks for having your say!

We received 100 formal submissions and engaged in over 325 conversations with community members at pop-up events. To find out what we heard, view the Engagement Report.

Projects and actions informed by your feedback:

Several submissions were received for projects that are of specific interest to the community. We’re delivering:

• Shared path connections between Minmi and Fletcher Richmond Vale Rail Trail connections
• Union Street Wickham Public Domain Upgrades
• Queens Wharf
• Cycleway projects such as Hunter Street, William Street to Mordue Parade and Lambton Park
• Flood planning and management and stormwater upgrades such as Union Street Cooks Hill, Wilkinson Street Mayfield, Sheridan Reserve Adamstown Heights, and Durham Road Lambton.

All submissions are being shared with relevant Council officers and feedback will be considered as part of our forward project and service planning.

What's next?

Thank you to everyone who shared feedback on our 2026-2027 budget. Your input has helped to shape the final document and will also inform the ongoing delivery of our programs, services and infrastructure.