Onkaparinga Council votes to cut councillors from 20 to 12 after Electoral Commissioner rejects 15 proposal

ADELAIDE’s largest council could soon be getting a lot smaller.

Onkaparinga Council has new logos on its trucks.

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ADELAIDE’s largest council could soon be getting a lot smaller.

The decision to slim down was taken at Onkaparinga Council’s emergency meeting on Tuesday, when members voted to reduce their own number from 20 to 12.

It was a tight decision: nine votes in favour, eight against.

The controversial move comes after the State Electoral Commissioner last month rejected the council’s previous recommendation, made in July, to cut the number of its elected members to 15.

Commissioner Mick Sherry told the 167,000-resident council it needed to decide again because its elector representation review report failed to meet the requirements of the Local Government Act.

He said the council’s initial proposal clearly stated it was considering amending its structure so there would be 12 councillors across six wards.

However, the council’s follow-up report to the commission in July proposed 15 elected members across five wards.

Councillors this week remained divided on the issue, which they have been debating since July last year, but ultimately decided 12 was the better option.

The council will now ask the commissioner to approve its latest decision, with a view to having just 12 seats contested at the 2018 local government elections.

Councils are required by law to conduct a review of their structures at least every eight years.

The state’s second largest council, Salisbury, has 16 councillors, and the third largest, Port Adelaide Enfield, has 17.