The 26,000 plus ratepayer families in the Willoughby Council area will be out of pocket $300 a year (on top of their $1300 -average house- rates) every year for the next 14 years according to figures in the the Long Term Financial Plan of the Willoughby City Council – a total of $4200 per ratepayer family. Up until a few years ago Willoughby Council met all its obligations without accumulating annual losses – then along came the sell-off of assets to pay for The Concourse, plus the heavy debt all rate payers carry for that building which Mayor Reilly told a public forum when it was mooted “It will not cost ratepayers a cent to run”.