Skinner pleads case for car rally
TWEED Shire Councillor Kevin Skinner made an attempt to bring a car rally for the region back on the agenda at Tuesday's council meeting.
The World Rally Championships' Australian event was held in the Tweed in 2009 but organisers moved the rally to Coffs Harbour in 2011 citing unworkable environmental recommendations from the council and potential damage to the sport's image.
Protests against the Tweed rally were widely reported in media.
Cr Skinner requested a report of the economic impact of the Coffs Harbour rally at the council meeting in November last year.
On Tuesday he used the finding of the report as a springboard to discuss bringing the rally back but other councillors did not support his motion to approach Rally Australia.
Cr Skinner pleaded with fellow councillors to support a move to re-establish the event in the Tweed.
"It's one of the biggest losses we have had in the past four years," Cr Skinner said.
"There were ways to address the issues.
"We could have all the legs of the rally in Kyogle and the headquarters in the Tweed. Businesses would benefit right across the region."
The report to the council stated that $460,000 was recorded as additional revenue from Coffs Harbour businesses surveyed with 92,223 attending the rally last year.
