13 Dec 2013

Councils spending more than they received

11:40 am on 13 December 2013

Councils spent more money than they received, ending the September quarter $39 million in the red.

Official figures show operating income rose 0.3% to $2 billion compared with the June quarter, but operating expenditure rose 0.7% to $2.1 billion.

An increase of $69 million in rates revenue was offset by falls in investment income, regulatory income and petrol tax.