Inner West Council de-amalgamation: Greens councillor Justine Langford motion for ‘certainty’

A push to fast track the potential de-amalgamation of the Inner West Council was a single vote away from success at the most recent council meeting.

A push to fast track the potential de-amalgamation of the Inner West Council was a single vote away from success at the most recent council meeting, with the Greens-led motion marginally rejected by seven votes to eight.

The motion, brought forward by Greens councillor for Marrickville Justine Langford, would have ensured a firm timeline for a demerger business case and monthly progress reports being produced.

Cr Langford expressed disappointment the motion had failed and said the poll result in December, which saw majority community support for the demerger, had motivated the Greens to make it a high priority.

“We strongly pushed for the poll in December, and we felt that the result was a mandate for us to take the issue forward in council,” she said.

“We wanted to ensure that it was a high priority on this council term, and that a strong business case was delivered.”

The de-amalgamation vote saw 63 per cent vote in favour and 37 against at the poll in December.

The non-binding plebiscite on December 4 saw a win for the pro-demerger camp, with 63 per cent of the vote voting in favour of de-amalgamation, on around 80 per cent turnout.

The result is non-binding and will need to be endorsed by the council before a business case is sent to the Boundaries Commission. After this the NSW Local Government Minister Wendy Tuckerman will make the final decision.

Cr Langford believed the motion would have helped ensure transparency in the preparation of a business case for de-amalgamation.

“At the moment, we don’t have a project timeline, and we have no date for when the business case might be delivered,” she said.

“There’s no project plan, and that’s what I called for in the motion on Tuesday night, which was unfortunately defeated.”

Justine Langford brought the motion forward at Council on March 8.

Although the Labor majority in Council voted against the most recent motion, there are plans to submit a business case for de-amalgamation, off the back of the result in December.

Speaking with the Inner West Courier last month, Mayor Darcy Byrne said his first official correspondence as mayor was a letter to the local government minister, “to notify her of the result of the de-amalgamation poll and to bring to attention that council will be preparing a business case for the demerger, and submitting it to the government”.

While not doubting that it’ll be brought forward, Cr Langford would like to see more certainties and transparency around the business case.

“The concern for us is about how strong the business case will be,” Cr Langford said.

“What’s the timeline for that business case?”

“And what are the opportunities for other counsellors and for the community to engage with the development of it?”