Council
11 September, 2026
Upper Lachan Council facing shortage of trained staff
Upper Lachlan Council has been forced to reduce customer service hours at its Crookwell administration centre due to a shortage of trained staff.
Upper Lachlan Council has been forced to reduce customer service hours at its Crookwell administration centre due to a shortage of trained staff.
Council advised on Wednesday (September 9) that the Crookwell Service NSW and council customer service counter would be closed between 12.30pm and 1.15pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
The closures will remain in place through until September 21.
After initially saying the closures were necessary because of “staff shortages”, Upper Lachlan Council later issued a clarification saying due to Service NSW requirements, council staff who are not accredited with Service NSW are unable to perform these duties.
“It is therefore not simply a matter of rostering other available staff, including executives, to cover the counter,” a spokesperson said.
“The temporary 45-minute closure on three days per week is a short-term measure to manage current staffing shortages while ensuring accredited staff receive their required breaks.
“Council apologises for any inconvenience and appreciates the community’s understanding,” the spokesperson said.
Mike Hinton said the situation “beggars belief” and asked whether the Mayor and councillors were going to sit back and allow it to happen.
“Upper Lachlan Council spent more than $15 million on employee costs last year, yet the General Manager is now telling the community that there are insufficient resources to maintain continuity of basic over-the-counter services,” Mr Hinton said.
“Ratepayers deserve better. Quite frankly it’s a joke.”
Council closed comments on its Facebook post after issuing the clarification.
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