Mosman and North Sydney councils fill up their anti-merger legal war chests

MOSMAN and North Sydney Councils could spend more than $1 million combined in their fight to stay independent.

North Sydney mayor Jilly Gibson and her Mosman counterpart Peter Abelson.

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MOSMAN and North Sydney councils could spend more than $1 million combined in their fight to stay independent.

Both councils are currently involved in a fight against the government’s amalgamation proposal at the Land and Environment Court and both voted at their last meetings to add more funds to their legal war chests.

North Sydney Council’s merger fight could end up costing almost $800,000.

At Tuesday night’s council meeting it added another $200,000 to its anti-merger battle fund. It had previously allocated $250,000 for the legal fight.

North Sydney mayor Jilly Gibson. Picture: John Appleyard

These funds add to the $277,780 it spent on its initial campaign against the merger and $50,758 crafting its responses to two separate merger proposals.

Mayor Jilly Gibson hopes that the council does not end up spending the full amount.

“I’m opposed to all of the money we are spending challenging the merger process,” said Cr Gibson.

“We’ve a snowflake in hell’s chance of beating Mike Baird on this ... all we are doing is delaying the inevitable.”

NSW Premier Mike Baird.

In a separate development the council also agreed to write to ICAC about an element of the merger process.

Delegates were appointed to the councils to examine the merger proposals earlier this year.

The council will ask ICAC if the appointment of delegates as administrators in the newly merged councils “would constitute corrupt conduct”.

Meanwhile, Mosman Council now has $225,000 set aside for the legal fight.

Councillors unanimously agreed to make an additional budget allocation of $75,000 at a council meeting on Tuesday last week.

Council previously allocated $50,000 in December last year and $100,000 at an extraordinary meeting in April.

Mosman mayor Peter Abelson.

Mayor Peter Abelson told the council meeting that the court case had “become quite complicated”.

Cr Simon Menzies questioned why he should vote to allocate more money when he had not been told how the case was progressing.

“I’m delighted with the process so far in the court,” Cr Tom Sherlock said.

Cr Roy Bendall said after the meeting that council was “doing very well” in court.

Under the State Government proposal, North Sydney, Mosman and Willoughby would merge to create an amalgamated lower north shore council.

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A map of the proposed lower north shore council amalgamation.