While Member for New England Barnaby Joyce was lauding the investment, council has been left to count the costs of funding that they won’t receive.

In its May budget the Federal Government announced a CPI freeze on the Financial Assistance Grants (FAG) for a three year period.

“Which means approximately $500,000 less revenue for Tenterfield Shire Council over 3 years,” council general manager Lotta Jackson said.

MP Barnaby Joyce announced the Tenterfield Shire Council would receive around $4.19 million in FAG funding, the first round since the federal budget was released.

He said the government was “committed to supporting local communities to deliver the services and facilities they need”.

The grants are primarily used to fund community services and keep pace with infrastructure costs.

Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss yesterday defended the freeze on assistance.

“It is not true that the Government has reduced funding to local government. Funding has been maintained at its 2013-14 levels, it is the indexation of Financial Assistance Grants to councils that has been temporarily paused.

Mr Truss said that councils were actually receiving more this year owing to population growth adjustments.

“I understand that councils did not welcome our decision to freeze annual indexation of Financial Assistance Grants for three years. But for many council’s the freeze will be more than offset by the abolition of the carbon tax and the injection of infrastructure investment for local communities,” he said.

Tenterfield Shire Council received the third highest funding allocation across the New England region.