Mayors on a mission to have decision reviewed

The State Government offered up to $200,000 towards implementation committees at metropolitan councils facing amalgamation but South Perth and Victoria Park were the only councils to miss out because their joint submission to the Local Government Advisory Board (LGAB) did not comply with State Government merger plans for the two neighbouring authorities.

Their submission told the LGAB that if the State Government persisted with plans to ‘hive off’ parts of the Burswood Peninsula to the City of Perth, they could not support amalgamation.

Representatives from both councils, including South Perth Mayor Sue Doherty and Victoria Park Mayor Trevor Vaughan, met last Monday as part of the two councils’ amalgamation taskforce.

‘Both local governments are disappointed with this decision and have written to the Minister and Department of Local Government and Communities requesting that it be reviewed,’ the mayors said.

‘We have requested a review of the decision by the State Government. At this stage we have not formally considered how the funding of our amalgamation will be addressed.

‘However, without the $200,000 grant, it is very possible that the ratepayers of both local governments will incur the full costs of preparing the submission and undertaking all the work throughout the reform process including full investigation of costs and associated research.’

They said their councils would not be able to dip into their reserves because they were held for specific purposes and could not be used for anything else.

‘We have not as yet formally considered other avenues of raising the money, but funds are required for this purpose.’