Yarra City Council and Port Phillip City Council could be abolished under plan by lord mayoral candidate Gary Morgan

Yarra City Council has had its fair share of controversies this council term but under a radical plan by a lord mayoral candidate, it may be abolished for good.

Controversial Yarra City Council and nearby Port Phillip City Council could be abolished under a radical plan by serial lord mayoral candidate Gary Morgan.

The Roy Morgan executive chairman, who is running for lord mayor for a staggering seventh time, has officially launched his election campaign with a raft of policies.

The businessman has picked financial adviser Liz Ge as his running mate, while real estate agent William Caldwell – believed to be Sam Newman’s nephew – and Residents 3000 president Rafael Camillo will run on his ticket in a bid to become councillors.

Lord mayoral candidate Gary Morgan (middle), his running mate Liz Ge and councillor candidates William Caldwell (left) and Rafael Camillo (right). Picture: Hanna Komissarova/Hyperlocal News

If elected, Mr Morgan said his team would push the state government to include the City of Yarra and the City of Port Phillip within an expanded City of Melbourne, effectively abolishing the two local councils to the city’s northeast and south.

He claims the move would result in “significant cost efficiencies”, adding that it “made sense” to bring them together.

“This reform will unite the north bank of the Yarra River and bring together the Melbourne CBD, Albert Park sporting precinct, the Melbourne foreshore, port facilities and the inner Melbourne suburbs of Port Melbourne and South Melbourne,” he said.

“Uniting these areas within one governance structure will result in significant cost efficiencies and drive effective solutions for all inner Melbourne residents.”

The suburbs covered by the City of Melbourne. Picture: City of Melbourne

He pointed out that the City of Sydney and City of Brisbane both govern a larger population than the City of Melbourne.

If the state government were to roll out this reform, Mr Morgan said reviews would then take place to see if any other neighbouring councils could be brought in.

The City of Yarra has been plagued with several controversies this council term including serving meat dishes to councillors despite urging ratepayers to go vegetarian, building Australia’s “saddest playground”, failing to get a planning permit to change Burnley Golf Course, committing a double privacy breach of residents’ details and introducing and increasing a bin tax.

Mr Morgan also called for the state government to implement single-councillor wards across the expanded City of Melbourne like the other metropolitan councils.

The policy comes three months after Port Phillip councillor and former mayor Marcus Pearl told the Herald Sun that the City of Melbourne needed to “shrink to grow again”.

He said the municipality should instead hand over suburbs to neighbouring councils as a way to reinvigorate the city centre.

He suggested the western wedge of South Yarra be given to the City of Stonnington, Kensington and parts of Flemington and West Melbourne moved to the City of Moonee Valley or the City of Maribyrnong and Fishermans Bend handed to the City of Port Phillip.

The trimmed-down city could then concentrate on Carlton, Southbank and the city centre.

“This will enable more targeted and effective governance, eliminating the distractions of managing areas outside the CBD at a time when we need focus to reinvigorate our capital city,” Mr Pearl said in July.

Mr Morgan has also pledged to work with the state government and Victoria Police to ensure protective safety officers (PSOs) are patrolling near Queen Victoria Market, the top end of Bourke St near Parliament House and all 13 train stations in the City of Melbourne.