On 22 October 2022 Lithgow City Council received a request from the organisers of Ironfest for financial assistance to conduct their event. The Council is pleased that consideration is being given to again conducting this popular event after years of disruption by Covid.
The Council has assisted with this event in the past. Typically that assistance has equated to something close to $15 000.
The request now is for around $100 000. The organisers say that they have spoken to the likes of Festivals Australia, Create NSW, Destination NSW, Arts Out West and others about funding, before approaching Council.
This request constitutes a large and unplanned increase. It comes at a time when the Council's capacity, financial and more broadly, has been stretched by repeated disaster events.
At this stage we need much more detail about the bases for this request for the local community to substantially increase the direction of scant public funds to this event. We will meet with the organisers of Ironfest the canvas the assistance we can provide.
