Strathfield, Burwood and Canada Bay mayors react to State Government’s backdown on merger
Mayors of Burwood, Canada Bay and Strathfield councils have welcomed a merger backflip, declaring the announcement a “win for the people”.
Inner West
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PREMIER Gladys Berejiklian has walked away from a legal fight over her government’s controversial forced council merger plan.
The government will not proceed with the forced merger of councils currently battling the decree in the courts, including Strathfield, Burwood and Canada Bay.
Ms Berejiklian was concerned about the repercussions of the unpopular policy at the upcoming local government election on September 9.
At a press conference this afternoon, the Premier said the decision was about “drawing the line.”
“We didn’t anticipate the court processes would go on this long and (the legal) advice to us was there was no certainty as to when the process would end,” she said.
“Could we have done the process better when we announced it some two years ago? Absolutely. I regret we didn’t.
“What we want to do now is create certainty (because) we need communities to go forward with confidence at the election about who they’re voting for, and for what time.”
The government’s amalgamation policy was dealt a blow earlier this year after the NSW Court of Appeal blocked a forced merger between Ku-ring-gai and Hornsby councils due to a lack of “procedural fairness” in the government’s amalgamation process.
Strathfield Council has been fighting two separate cases against the merger with Burwood and Canada Bay in the Land and Environment Court.
Had the merger proceeded, the three councils would have been amalgamated to form the proposed “Western Bay Council”.
Mayors of Burwood, Canada Bay and Strathfield councils today welcomed the “backflip” declaring the announcement a “win for the people.”
Strathfield
Strathfield’s Independent Mayor Andrew Soulos said he was relieved that the “spectre of abolition” had been removed from the future of his council.
Mr Soulos said the council took the merger fight to court because ratepayers did not want to be part of a super council.
“We had several public surveys over the past four years and we’ve always been told that we should fight the merger. That is the message we received,” he said.
“I’m relieved at the announcement.
“It was more the angst and the spectre of abolition that has been the problem.
“The next council can now get on with the job.”
Also weighing in on the announcement was Labor councillor and former mayor, Daniel Bott, describing the decision as “the greatest victory in the history of Strathfield.”
The council has spent more than $200,000 of ratepayer money on its legal challenges against the amalgamation.
Ms Berejiklian today confirmed the money spent had been a “decision for the councils” and would not be reimbursed by the State Government.
Other proposed mergers of Mosman, Willoughby, North Sydney, Lane Cove, Hunters Hill, Ryde, Ku-ring- gai, Hornsby, Woollahra, Randwick and Waverly will also no longer go ahead.
Burwood
Burwood Council was opposed to forced amalgamations when the policy was announced.
Mayor John Faker said the premier’s announcement was a victory for democracy.
“The people have spoken (and) this is a great win for our community after 18 months of not knowing our fate,” Cr Faker said.
“It is extremely disappointing that the State Government has taken this long to make an announcement, wasting significant time and money on the merger reforms only to backflip right before the elections.
“I am confident that we can now refocus on providing our high level of services to our community for the years to come.”
The Labour mayor, however, was not confident today’s decision would mark the end to the process.
“We’re still concerned that the government may seek out a loophole and come back after the next state election and reintroduce the merger policy,” he said.
“The government can’t be trusted on this.”
Canada Bay
Canada Bay Mayor Helen McCaffrey has “welcomed” the government’s announcement, saying it ends a “period of uncertainty” for residents and council staff.
“We’ll continue to operate as a strong, stand-alone council,” she said.
“We have great community spirit, the council is in a strong financial position and we’re not afraid to make difficult decisions.
“I’m excited by the announcement.”
The Liberal councillor, elected in 2004, said the announcement would provide candidates contesting the September election with certainty to see out a full term until 2020.
Had the merger proceeded, councillors could have served out reduced terms before being sacked and replaced by an administrator.
Cr McCaffrey said the decision would also appease concerns among council staff over potential job losses and “restructuring” involved with the proposed amalgamation.
“For the staff it’s been particularly unsettling process,” Cr McCaffrey said.
“They can now get on with the jobs with more certainty.”
What happens to Inner West Council?
Ms Berejiklian confirmed today’s decision would not affect councils already amalgamated, including Inner West Council.
Unlike Strathfield, the former Ashfield, Leichhardt and Marrickville councils did not challenge the process, paving the way for the merger to proceed in May 2016.
Some candidates, including the Greens, have pledged to hold a referendum on the amalgamation if elected at the September poll.
This would need to be adopted by a majority vote of elected councillors.
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