Toowoomba Regional Council’s (TRC) commitment to using local suppliers has increased during the month of October.
Following a strong start to the year, TRC Finance and Business Strategy Chair Councillor Geoff McDonald said 64% of Council’s supplier spend for October was with local suppliers.
“This is a great achievement and reinforces how much we’re dedicated to keeping money in the Toowoomba Region,” he said.
“Taking October into account, this financial year’s local spend is at 56% which is more than double that of the State Government expenditure with Queensland suppliers, which is around 25% of all spending.
“These strong figures follow on from a record spend in the previous financial year of $180 million spent locally which shows we are headed in the right direction.”
To ensure Council continues to meet expectations of businesses within the Toowoomba Region, Cr McDonald said Council was considering a proposal put forward by the Queensland Small Business Commission.
“During the Ordinary Meeting of Council we had a deputation from the Commission which has set up a Small Business Friendly Councils (SBFC),” he said.
“The intent of this group is for Councils to work together by sharing information so that other Councils may develop improved processes to support local businesses further.
“While we’re pleased with the increased local spend from Council, we understand the expectations of our local businesses and will further investigate if the SBFC is able to offer more ways for us to support our community.”
In addition to increasing its local spend, TRC Finance and Business Strategy portfolio lead Councillor Kerry Shine said Council had made a bright start to achieving its Operational Plan actions for this financial year.
“The 2020/21 Operational Plan is representative of the operational delivery of the Corporate Plan goals and is continuously monitored and improved through Council progress reporting,” Cr Shine said.
“So far this year Council has achieved 97% of actions ‘on track’ and ‘monitor’ for activities planned against the Operational Plan which is pleasing to see.”
