NSW Government announces plan to cut Sydney councils from 43 to 25

HIS council is to be sliced in two under new plans revealed today by the NSW Premier. And deputy mayor Salim Mehajer isn’t happy.

Salim Mehajer

HE MAY be Australia’s most famous deputy mayor but Salim Mehajer’s own council might not last for much longer under plans announced by NSW Premier Mike Baird today.

Under the government’s ‘Fit for the Future’ proposal the number of Sydney councils will be drastically cut from the current 43 to just 25, with Mr Mehajer’s Auburn council facing the axe.

A map revealed today shows Auburn sliced in two. The southern part of the local government area, which includes Lidcombe where Mr Mehajer held his lavish wedding, will be merged to the west with Holroyd council and the southern chunk of Parramatta council.

The merger would see Auburn council, which currently has about 80,000 residents, merged into a new council area with about 200,000 residents.

The northern part of Auburn, which is dominated by Sydney Olympic Park, will be handed to a greatly increased Parramatta Council. The proposal will mean much of the new western Sydney light rail will be within the one LGA, simplifying its planning.

Auburn had hoped to merge with two councils to its east, Canada Bay and Burwood, to create a new Sydney Olympic Park council.

‘NOT FIT FOR THE FUTURE’

“It would be a shame to see Sydney Olympic Park thrown to Parramatta City Council,” Mr Mehajer told news.com.au. He criticised the Government’s plan to force unwilling councils to merge. “If this does happen, it is already an indication of a failed amalgamation. One I would call not fit for the future.”

Mr Mehajer would not be drawn on whether he would look to continue to serve on the new council, which so far doesn’t have a name, or would consider running for mayor.

NSW Premier Mike Baird says the plan to merge councils in Sydney and throughout the state will save $2 billion.

Elsewhere in Sydney, a new supersized council will cover the entire inner west while Woollahra, Waverley and Randwick will join together to form one authority stretching from the South Heads to Maroubra via Bondi Beach.

Sydney’s smallest council, Hunter’s Hill, will disappear joining up with Ryde and Lane Cove. Canterbury and Bankstown councils will merge replicating the union seen on the footy field.

Councils in the Illawarra, in and around Wollongong, will shrink from four to two while the Central Coast will now have one LGA.

However, some councils will remain along their current boundaries including the City of Sydney, Newcastle, Liverpool and Penrith.

Mr Baird said none of the Sydney councils is forecast to be larger than Blacktown, currently NSW’s largest with 330,000 residents, or have fewer than 150,000 ratepayers.

“The community expects a stronger local government system that can deliver the infrastructure and services they deserve, while keeping rates stable.

RED TAPE

“Importantly, fewer councils will mean a big reduction in red tape for the NSW community and the businesses that work with councils,” Mr Baird said.

The government cited analysis by KPMG which said the proposed mergers would deliver financial benefits of up to $2 billion that could be invested in new infrastructure, improved services or keeping rates stable.

Sydney Olympic Park, currently within Auburn’s boundaries, will be handed over to a supersized Parramatta council. Picture: John Appleyard

Each new council would also receive funding of up to $10 million to pay for the costs of merging, he said.

Warringah mayor Michael Regan, whose council is set to be divided up between Manly and Pittwater, says his council and residents feel “dismayed” and “betrayed” by the plans.

The plan has been accused of being politically motivated by opposition local government spokesman Peter Primrose. “This process has been a chaotic shambles from the get go,” he told AAP.

“These boundaries ... are the result of trades within cabinet between ministers.”

‘MAKING IT UP’

Greens MP David Shoebridge said the government’s initial proposal of six mega councils across Sydney, which was later squashed by a community campaign, showed the process was dysfunctional.

“The government is making it up as they go along, it doesn’t have a coherent plan and it definitely does not have a parliamentary avenue to force amalgamations,” Mr Shoebridge said.

Sydney Town Hall. City of Sydney will likely be left with its current boundaries. Picture: Gordon McComiskie

The Save Our Councils Coalition says it will fight the Baird government’s plans. “Make no mistake, amalgamations will see rates going up, libraries being closed down, child care centres privatised and services reduced,” spokeswoman Nella Gaughan said.

The government is considering a proposal to set council rates based on property value, rather than land value.

This could mean inner city apartment owners would be forced to pay higher rates and homeowners on large blocks in outer suburbs may pay less.

The Government said detailed merger proposals were being finalised and will be referred to the Chief Executive of the Office of Local Government for examination.

PROPOSED NEW COUNCILS IN SYDNEY

• Ashfield, Leichhardt and Marrickville
• Bankstown and Canterbury
• Botany Bay and Rockdale
• Burwood, Canada Bay and Strathfield
• Hawkesbury and The Hills District
• Holroyd and part of Auburn
• Hornsby and Ku-ring-gai
• Hunters Hill, Lane Cove and Ryde
• Hurstville and Kogarah
• Manly, Mosman and part of Warringah
• North Sydney and Willoughby
• Parramatta and part of Auburn
• Pittwater and part of Warringah
• Randwick, Waverley and Woollahra