The meetings were intended to update local authorities on the reform process with the Minister advising he was looking at the best way forward to implement the process and would have a decision made in two months.
‘The Town of Bassendean has made it very clear we will not stand for a Bayswater takeover and have been in discussions with the City of Swan, which is our community’s preferred alignment partner,’ said Bassendean Mayor John Gangell.
City of Bayswater Mayor Terry Kenyon said Mr Simpson said there was going to be no forced amalgamations, but if councils won’t agree to disagree then he’ll put commissioners in and they’ll run the councils in the short-term.
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READ NOW‘It just seems to be getting drawn out,’ he said.
‘They have had plenty of time to do something ” it was a little bit disappointing.
‘The thing I really have a problem with is he’s going to work with councils to agree to amalgamate ” in four years that hasn’t happened.’
Mayor Kenyon said Mr Gangell made it clear there was no intention of agreeing to amalgamate with the adjacent City of Bayswater.
‘They want to go the City of Swan, which is absolutely ridiculous because they’re more aligned with the City of Bayswater,’ Cr Kenyon said.
He said the reform had been a long time coming with government looking at forming 15-20 local governments with 100,000 ratepayers per council.
Stirling Mayor David Boothman said that until the report comes out there was still an air of uncertainty in local government that was affecting the hiring of new staff.
The City of Stirling has advertised twice for building surveyors, and has yet to attract a single application.
‘I think there are two possible reasons for this’