Premier Mike Baird calls on peninsula residents to have their say in final stage of merger process

Now is the time to have your say on what suburbs will make up a Greater Manly and Greater Pittwater council.

Member for Manly & NSW Premier Mike Baird speaks to Manly Daily reporter Alison Marks about amalgamation, following Warringah Council's claims that the KPMG report is full of misleading figures over-estimating the benefit of a merger. Picture: Troy Snook

• Warringah to be split in merger process
• Council questions financial benefits in KPMG report
• Time to get to know the neighbours
• Readers blast decision to split Warringah

Now is the time to have your say on what suburbs will make up a Greater Manly and Greater Pittwater council.

That’s the message from NSW Premier Mike Baird.

The Manly state MP said he was welcoming all feedback on the proposal for two northern beaches councils – including where the boundary has been drawn.

“We’re genuine in this,” Mr Baird said.

“People are passionate and are responsive and that’s great. I welcome that.”

The Premier said he was also thankful for Warringah Council’s suggestion that the boundary – which will split their council in two – should be based on where local assets lie.

NSW Premier Mike Baird explaining the benefits of a northern beaches merger. Picture: Troy Snook

“I welcome that contribution from Warringah,” he said. “My sense is they’ve got to a position where they can see ... the benefits that come from this boundary and if you move it one way or another there’s more benefits that go to both communities.”

Mr Baird said the suggestion would be considered as part of the boundaries commission process.

When asked how the proposal came about for two northern beaches councils – made up of Pittwater and half of Warringah in the north, and Manly, Mosman and the remaining half of Warringah in the south – Mr Baird said it was all about consensus.

“We had two councils, Manly and Pittwater, that supported the model we put forward,” he said.

While Mosman had been a firm objector to any form of amalgamation, the Premier said even it had opted – if there was no other choice – to join with Manly, rather than North Sydney or Chatswood.

“Their argument was that if anything had to happen ... they’d rather go this way than towards the high-density areas,” he said.

The Premier was mobbed by anti-amalgamation protesters at a recent event. Picture: Braden Fastier

Mr Baird also defended the decision to include ­Mosman in the two-council proposal.

“I don’t think that many on the beaches would necessarily understand SHOROC (Shore Regional Organisation of Councils) and the fact that there was actually already four councils working together,” he said.

Mr Baird said connecting Mosman with the beaches was particularly important in terms of transport and creating one corridor.

“..things like the rat run issue ... you’ve got a capacity to actually think much more strategically across all the things we share,” he said.

Warringah Council has been vocal in its objection to the proposal and Mr Baird said he was disappointed in the campaign material it had sent out – especially considering it once supported the reform process.

“I think part of the community fear (with the proposal) is from (Warringah’s) campaign that was completely and utterly false,” he said.

“They wanted three councils into one, but this is four councils, coming to two, delivering exactly the sort of benefits that (they) were arguing for.”

Mr Baird said a discussion around the location of the boundary was a win-win situation for residents.

“I know there are different views on where the boundary should be ... Obviously that’s a good thing in a sense that ratepayers are all going to be winners.”

Mr Baird said it was time for residents and councils to think about how they’ll spend the savings, with the Premier touting a saving of $4 million a year for each of the councils by 2020.

The boundaries commission process, according to Mr Baird, is a chance for stakeholders to listen.

“I understand there’s still concerns ... that’s the last thing we wanted in this, but we listened, we put a proposal together, let’s give the community a chance to have the last say.”