Local Government Week kicked off on Monday with the annual event celebrating the range and diversity of essential infrastructure and services councils provide for their communities in NSW.

As the branch of government which oversees libraries, waste services, sports fields, parks, cemeteries, building and development services, pet registration and much more, councils are always busy looking after their community.

Throughout the week, councils across the state will be celebrating with a variety of special events and activities, including tours and demonstrations, educational events, community engagement forums, competitions and award presentations.

The celebrations are being led by Local Government NSW, the peak body for councils in NSW.

LGNSW president Phyllis Miller, who is also the Mayor for Forbes in western NSW, said councils were the backbone of their communities and provided essential services and infrastructure under increasing financial pressures.

“Local Government Week is a wonderful opportunity for councils to showcase the unique and essential role they play in their communities” she said.

“In day-to-day life but more importantly in times of crisis, councils aren’t just delivering services - they’re helping their communities both survive and thrive.

“As the closest sphere of government to the community, councils are uniquely positioned to respond, to lead, and to care in ways that make a genuine difference to their towns and cities.

“All our councils are responsible for so much more than just roads, rates and rubbish. They deal with emergency management and rebuilding after natural disaster and, in many cases, water infrastructure and health and aged care services.

“Literally from the cradle to the grave, your local council is striving to support and serve you in so many different ways."

Mayor Miller said Local Government Week was also about celebrating the people who make it all happen.

"Our hardworking councillors and staff – and reinforcing the importance of strong partnerships across all levels of government,” she added.

The week's celebrations include LGNSW's Local Government Week Awards in Sydney on Thursday, recognising outstanding achievement across the sector.

Kiama's Local Government Week Awards will recognise and celebrate individuals and organisations that make a meaningful contribution to the local community.

They will be held from 5-7pm on Tuesday at The Pavilion in Kiama.

Kiama Council is responsible for local roads, rates and rubbish, but also maintains: 1 waste and recycling centre, 2 libraries, 1 visitor centre, 1 leisure centre, 5 public pools, 137 parks, reserves and sports fields, 1 youth centre, 1 art gallery, 1 function centre, 32 toilet blocks, 6 boat ramps, 32 playgrounds, 64 car parks, 35 bus shelters and 4 cemeteries.

Services include beach patrols, road safety education, swim schools, tourism promotion, tree management, lost animals, water quality testing, food safety, kids storybook sessions, gym classes, youth drop-in sessions, festivals and art exhibitions, public wi-fi, and of course road maintenance, toilet cleaning, rubbish collection and street sweeping.

Many of these services are provided for free, or at rates well below their commercial equivalents.

Councils across NSW:

• Employ almost 50,000 people
• Maintain more than 168,000km of roads & bridges
• Recycle 1.75 million tonnes of waste
• Manage an estimated 4 million tonnes of waste each year
• Make kerbside waste collections for more than 3.1 million households
• Operate more than 380 libraries that attract tens of millions of visits each year
• Manage more than 1,800 community and public centres
• Manage more than $220 billion of community assets
• Spend more than $2.5 billion each year on caring for the environment
• Spend more than $2.4 billion on culture and recreation