Cobar is a remote town in western NSW. For 30 years the local Council has been supporting Lillian Bray Village, a 34 bed hostel and care facility and now wants somebody else to take over given its losses. Ratepayers are subsidizing its $2.5 million annual budget by $200,000 a year. Between 2005 and 2010 it made losses of $335,000; in the past two years it made a surplus after subsidies of $14,000. This is a tip of the iceberg. Each week another Council declares it needs to unburden itself of a community care facility.
Opinion
These new retirement villages show providing care is here and now
Gone are the days when retirement living was defined by community centres, swimming pools and bowling greens. While these amenities still exist – the provision of care is now a core part of the value proposition. Hyegrove Willoughby on Sydney’s...
