Somerset push to split region

THE Somerset local government region could be split in two if a proposal by dissatisfied Kilcoy residents is successful.

THE Somerset local government region could be split in two if a proposal by dissatisfied Kilcoy residents is successful.

The submission has been sent to the Department for Local Government proposing to separate the Somerset area back into Esk and Kilcoy-based councils.

One of the submission organisers, former Kilcoy Shire mayor Terry Dredge, said residents wanted to return to pre-amalgamation boundaries.

"People feel they were wrongly done by by the Beattie and Bligh governments," he said. "We consider we could look after ourselves better under the previous arrangement."

Mr Dredge said the submission had been sent to the office of Local Government Minister David Crisafulli yesterday.

The submission had to include a petition with signatures of more than 20% of the proposed de-amalgamated area, which Mr Dredge said they reached easily.

However, incumbent Somerset Mayor Graeme Lehmann said he believed the cost of reversing the status quo would be too expensive to be viable.

"To be entirely honest I can't see it happening. I think the cost of unscrambling the egg would be unviable," he said.

"I think we're jumping at shadows here."

Cr Lehmann said residents were well within their rights to look at de-amalgamation.

"You can't stop people from looking at their options, but I doubt this makes a lot of economic sense," he said.

"No one of us wanted amalgamation in the first place, but it's happened.

"I think Esk and Kilcoy were two councils that made sense to join together."

According to the Department of Local Government's website, to be removed from an amalgamated council area applications must have a petition with "at least 20% of the voting population of the proposed de-amalgamating council" and be submitted before next Wednesday.

Mr Crisafulli announced the formation of the Boundaries Commission in June to allow for councils to propose de-amalgamation.

"While many councils have moved on after the brutal amalgamations, in a handful of cases, the wounds are still raw.

"We believe in giving local communities the chance to put forward a case to return to their former shires, but with a full understanding there will be costs involved," he said.

Originally published as Somerset push to split region