Leichhardt in two minds about merger

BY RYAN QUINN
Leichhardt’s Labor-Liberal block is looking to submit a voluntary merger following the IPART declaration that the LGA is not fit for the future.

This is despite vast community opposition to the idea and independent consultant advice, along with fierce rejection from the Greens and Independent Leichhardt councillors.

According to former Greens Mayor Rochelle Porteous and Independent Councillor John Stamolis, Leichhardt Council’s priority under the 2014-2015 council was to remain as a standalone council.

Council was taken by surprise in a May meeting when a preferred merger option with neighbouring councils was tabled, with Clr Stamolis then launching his campaign to challenge it.

“We thought ‘hang on, where’s this all come from? You had plenty of time to have put this out to the people?’ They didn’t even discuss it with the Greens or Independent councillors, it was just sprung at the meeting,” Clr Stamolis told City Hub.

“We didn’t even know it was coming. There was no preferred merger option, no one’s ever talked about this, no one ever raised this with our community and the consultation is all over,” he said.

It was decided after a Leichhardt Council Policy Meeting on Tuesday night to submit a merger option with Ashfield and Marrickville councils to the state government.

Council Chambers was at capacity with 60 energetic residents, chanting in opposition to any mention of the option.

One resident yelled “he’s bluffing” during a speech by Leichhardt Labor Mayor Darcy Byrne.

Clr Porteous said that community consultation held by the council, which closed in May, found residents were opposed to amalgamation.

Online and letterbox surveys found that 72 per cent of respondents preferred a standalone council, while 55 per cent of phone respondents were against a merge.

The community surveys found that 19 per cent of local residents supported amalgamation.
150 residents also attended Balmain Town Hall on Saturday to attend a Save Our Councils Coalition meeting, where there was unanimous support for the standalone option.

Clr Byrne has said that while he maintained the policy of a standalone council, he was looking towards a fall-back option in the event of forced amalgamations, not a proposal.

“We presented a watertight case for Leichhardt to stand alone, but our hand has been forced by IPART finding us unfit for the future because our population just isn’t big enough for them,” Clr Byrne said in a statement.

Clr Stamolis said that there was not any evidence to suggest that amalgamations can or will be forced.

However, according to Clr Byrne, the council has received legal advice stating that the State Government has the power to suspend council and appoint an administrator in its place.

“If we’re faced with the option of being placed into administration and shut out of the process, or taking an active role in determining the future for our community, then the choice is clear. We have to do what we can to protect our residents,” Clr Byrne said in a statement.

Clr Porteus said that while this is true, council has the power to challenge being sacked.

“Leichhardt Council has been sacked before, it’s challenged it in the courts and won. If the State Government tries to sack the council without good reason, it can and should be challenged in the court,” she said.

Liberal Leichhardt Councillor John Jobling told City Hub that local government is very much “a creature of the state”.

According to Clr Jobling, if council does not consider a merger option, it could miss out on $25 million which would be given to a merger involving three councils, and councillors could be replaced by an administrator.

“What is best for the residents of the area in the mid to long term and how it will affect their services, their rates and everything else; that’s where I come from,” he said.

“On this basis, we will have a chance of being there to develop these in an amalgamation with somebody else.”

However, Clr Porteous told City Hub that the $25 million “bribe” would not cover the costs of amalgamating three councils, which she estimated at a minimum of $33.5 million.

Clr Stamolis said that the Mayor had jumped the gun by considering this option and that he was “doing Mike Baird’s job for him”.

“Our council needs to go to the Premier and say we’ve gone through every process here, IPART have shown us that we are Fit for the Future on all our financial measures, we have done the analysis across all the options, and Leichhardt standalone is the best possible outcome,” he said.

Clr Porteous said that the only reason to amalgamate is because Mr Baird had “put a gun to the heads of local councils across NSW and said amalgamate or else, but hasn’t said what the ‘or else’ is”.

“People are interpreting the ‘or else’ as there will be forced amalgamation,” she said.