Tasmania politics: Review of local government says state should halve its 29 councils

The endless debate over the right number of councils for Tasmania wil rage on after a new report recommended 12 municpalities voluntarily amalgamate into five super councils.

Chair of the Local Government Board Sue Smith at Hobart. Picture: Chris Kidd

Twelve Tasmanian municipalities could be merged into five super councils under the recommendations of a two-year review of local government.

The Future of Local Government Review’s final report will be released for public comment on Friday.

Chaired by the head of the Local Government Board Sue Smith and conducted over almost two years, it makes 37 recommendations intended to strengthen and streamline the sector.

That includes preparing the case for voluntary council amalgamations between West Coast, Waratah-Wynyard and Circular Head Councils; Kentish and Latrobe Councils; Break O’Day, Glamorgan-Spring Bay and Sorell Councils; City of Hobart and Glenorchy City Councils; as well as Kingborough and Huon Valley Councils.

Tasmania currently has 29 local councils functioning under what the report described as a “structurally unsustainable system”.

It says that around 15 councils would probably be the right number.

“Maintaining 29 councils will continue to have a significant and detrimental impact on the ability of the sector to attract and retain key staff, to uniformly manage assets well, and to deliver important regulatory functions,” the report notes.

Minister for local Government Nic Street and Chair of the Local Government Board Sue Smith at Hobart. Picture: Chris Kidd

“The Tasmanian Government has taken non-voluntary council boundary changes off the table. “However, we still believe a system of larger, more capable councils, supported by some mandated service sharing, is the best solution to set the sector up for a successful and sustainable future.

“We have developed an alternative future structural design for local government in Tasmania based on research, analysis, and engagement. This new design comprises 15 local government areas.”

An interim report released by the review in April this year called for “substantive structural reform” and said that waiting for voluntary recommendations was not the way forward. It suggested that as few as nine council might be sustainable.

Kentish Council would merge with Latrobe under the proposal Picture: Kentish Council

The final report also recommended councils do more to embed the sharing of key technical staff, sharing of common digital business systems and ICT infrastructure and sharing asset management expertise through a centralised, council-owned authority.

‘The board is still of the view that shared services alone cannot solve the scale-related challenges facing the sector, but they will inevitably play an important role, and this will become more critical where we do not achieve significant consolidation of councils,” the report said.

Local Government Minister Nic Street said the government was keen to get feedback from the Tasmanian community before any changes went ahead.

“From the beginning, this review has highlighted councils’ role in supporting strong local communities,” he said.

“The government will maintain a focus on the community as we consider the Report and prepare a government response.

“We have been clear that this review will not result in forced amalgamations of councils, and that has not changed.

‘There will be no change to council boundaries unless both the councils and communities want them.”

Comment on the report and its recommendations is open until the end of February.