# Hilltops Council

Hilltops Council is a local government area in the South Western Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia. This area was formed on 12 May 2016 from the merger of Boorowa Council, Harden Shire and Young Shire. The local government area covers much the same area as the Hilltops wine region.
The mayor of Hilltops Council is Brian Ingram, an independent, and was elected unopposed after the inaugural election held on 9 September 2024.

## Main towns and villages

The largest town in Hilltops Council is Young. The other major urban centres are Boorowa, Murrumburrah and Harden. Other towns and localities in the Council include Bendick Murrell, Berremangra, Bribbaree, Frogmore, Galong, Godfreys Creek, Hovells Creek, Jugiong, Kingsvale, Koorawatha, Maimuru, Milvale, Monteagle, Mount Collins, Murringo, Reids Flat, Rugby, Rye Park, Taylors Flat, Thuddungra, Wirrimah, Wombat and Wyangala (part).

## Demographics

Selected historical census data for Hilltops local government area :
| Census year | Census year | Census year | 2016 |
| Population | Population | Estimated residents on census night | 18,498 |
| Population | Population | LGA rank in terms of size within New South Wales | |
| Population | Population | % of New South Wales population | 0.25% |
| Population | Population | % of Australian population | nom% |
| Population | Population | Estimated ATSI population on census night | 819 |
| Population | Population | % of ATSI population to residents | 4.40% |
| Cultural and language diversity | Cultural and language diversity | Cultural and language diversity | |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Australian | 35.5% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | English | 30.8% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Irish | 11.1% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | Scottish | 6.9% |
| Ancestry, top responses | Ancestry, top responses | German | 2.7% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Arabic | 1.1% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Italian | 0.2% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Mandarin | 0.2% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Serbian | 0.2% |
| Language, top responses (other than English) | Language, top responses (other than English) | Tagalog | 0.1% |
| Religious affiliation | Religious affiliation | Religious affiliation | |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Catholic | 34.4% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Anglican | 25.9% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | No religion, so described | 15.7% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Not stated | 8.4% |
| Religious affiliation, top responses | Religious affiliation, top responses | Uniting Church | 4.6% |
| Median weekly incomes | Median weekly incomes | Median weekly incomes | |
| Personal income | Personal income | Median weekly personal income | A$538 |
| Personal income | Personal income | % of Australian median income | 0.81% |
| Family income | Family income | Median weekly family income | A$1,261 |
| Family income | Family income | % of Australian median income | 0.73% |
| Household income | Household income | Median weekly household income | A$976 |
| Household income | Household income | % of Australian median income | 0.68% |

## Council
### Current composition and election method

Hilltops Council is composed of eleven councillors elected proportionally as a single ward. All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor is elected by the councillors at the first meeting of the council.
The current council, elected on 4 December 2021, is:
| Councillor | Party | Notes |
| John Piper | Independent | |
| Margaret Roles | Independent | Mayor |
| Tony Hewson | Independent | |
| Tony Flanery | | |
| Alison Foreman | Independent | Deputy Mayor |
| Greg Armstrong | Independent | |
| Joanne Mackay | | |
| Matthew Stadtmiller | | |
| Brian Ingram | Independent | |
| Mary Dodd | Independent | |
| Patrick Fitzgerald | Independent | |

## Election results
### 2024

2024 New South Wales local elections: Hilltops :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Brian Ingram (elected) | 1,740 | 15.8 | +6.8 |
| | Independent | Neil Langford (elected) | 1,612 | 14.7 | |
| | Independent | Matthew Stadtmiller (elected) | 1,271 | 11.6 | −1.5 |
| | Independent | Alison Foreman (elected) | 959 | 8.7 | −7.3 |
| | Independent | Jake Davis (elected) | 951 | 8.6 | |
| | Independent | Tony Flanery (elected) | 884 | 8.0 | −0.8 |
| | Independent | Joanne Mackay (elected) | 525 | 4.8 | −3.1 |
| | Independent | James Blackwell (elected) | 521 | 4.7 | |
| | Independent | Mary Dodd (elected) | 479 | 4.4 | −0.8 |
| | Independent | Abdullah Sultan | 435 | 4.0 | |
| | Independent | Michelle Gallo (elected) | 418 | 3.8 | |
| | Independent | Patrick Fitzgerald | 349 | 3.2 | −0.9 |
| | Independent | Fiona Douglas (elected) | 315 | 2.9 | |
| | Independent | Jennifer Smith | 253 | 2.3 | |
| | Independent | Michael Skillen | 239 | 2.2 | |
| | Independent | Brandon Douglas | 51 | 0.5 | |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 11,002 | 91.9 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 972 | 8.1 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,974 | 82.1 | |

### 2021

2021 New South Wales local elections: Hilltops :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Alison Foreman (elected) | 1,769 | 16.1 |
| | Independent | Margaret Roles (elected) | 1,450 | 13.2 |
| | Independent | Matthew Stadtmiller (elected) | 1,436 | 13.0 |
| | Independent | Brian Ingram (elected) | 999 | 9.1 |
| | Independent | John Piper (elected) | 952 | 8.6 |
| | Independent | Joanne Mackay (elected) | 869 | 7.9 |
| | Independent | Tony Flanery (elected) | 798 | 7.2 |
| | Independent | Mary Dodd (elected) | 567 | 5.1 |
| | Independent | Tony Hewson (elected) | 482 | 4.4 |
| | Independent | Greg Armstrong (elected) | 462 | 4.2 |
| | Independent | Patrick Fitzgerald (elected) | 452 | 4.1 |
| | Independent | John Horton | 413 | 3.7 |
| | Independent | John Niven | 372 | 3.4 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 11,021 | 93.3 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 788 | 6.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,809 | 82.5 |