Mr Ingram was the Mayor of the Young Shire Council before it was merged with Boorowa and Harden to form the Hilltops Council.

Mr Ingram said his concerns about the current council Administration’s handling of expenditure grant funding were well founded.

“I have been critical of how this matter is being dealt with for months, but my concerns do not seem to carry any weight and fall on deaf ears,” he said. “It's apparent vast sums of money are destined to be spent in the wrong areas.

“I am not saying that the projects listed are not worthy of consideration I just believe that there are more important infrastructure needs that require addressing. All merged Councils have to improve their infrastructure backlog.”

Mr Ingram said the proposed spending of $15 million from the Stronger Community Funding is unfair on Young.

“Using the former three shires boundaries, Boorowa will get approximately $1,310 per head, Harden $990 per head and Young $630 per head,” he said.

But Hilltops Council Administrator Wendy Tuckerman said the consultative process was ongoing, and funding allocation had not been decided.

“The draft projects have predominately been borne from previous Councils long-term financial plans,” she said. “It has been raised through the consultative process that the funds should be evenly distributed between the three former shires and interestingly other amalgamated Councils have been directed by their Local Member to do exactly that, but others have allocated on a per project basis as proposed. 

“As a part of the process Council will seek direction and recommendations from the Local Members on their position of allocation. The next step in the process is for a panel comprising both State Government Local Members and the three chairs of the Local Representative Committees to make recommendations to Council on the proposed projects.”