One of the items to come before them concerns a request for financial support from the very successful Bathurst Tucker Van.

For more than three years now, Tucker Van volunteers have gone out three nights a week to dish up hot meals for the region’s needy.

It is all the brainchild of convenor David Buckby, who had been told by many around town that there was no need for this sort of service in Bathurst.

But Mr Buckby has proven those knockers wrong and, last Saturday night, more than 80 people turned up in cold, wet conditions to gratefully receive a meal.

Crucially, around 40 per cent of the Tucker Van meals go to children aged under 12 – and no one would want to deny them the chance to eat.

So councillors must ask themselves two questions tonight: First, is it council’s job to fund an organisation such as this and, if so, how much money should it receive?

The answer to the first question should be no, it’s probably not council’s role to ensure residents have access to a warm meal. But, if council doesn’t support the Tucker Van, who will?

The sad reality is that all tiers of government are happy to congratulate charities on their good deeds, but are less forthcoming with financial support.

Which is odd, because most ratepayers and taxpayers would put feeding the needy – particularly children – ahead of many other government spending priorities.

So councillors tonight need to take the lead for their community and say, yes, they will support the Tucker Van – and not with a token $500 amount, either.

A donation of $10,000 for the Tucker Van from the Section 356 fund would go a long way towards securing its services for the next 12 months.

And that same donation should become an annual grant as part of the council management plan. It may not be council’s job to feed the needy, but what a wonderful gesture it would be for councillors to say it should be.

Sometimes the needs of the few must be placed before the wants of the many.