With the announcement on August 24 that Cootamundra-Gundagai Council is set to demerge, Central Coast Friends of Democracy (CCFoD) is renewing calls for a community poll on whether or not residents want to reverse the merger of the former Gosford and Wyong Councils in 2016.
Minister for Local Government, Wendy Tuckerman, announced the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council demerge, which followed following a long community battle and a Council resolution, in what she described as a “complex decision”.
She said her decision was based on the merits of the proposal put forward by Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council and the subsequent recommendations and examination by the independent Boundaries Commission.
“There are countless examples across the state of amalgamated councils performing strongly by lowering costs and delivering better infrastructure and services for residents,” Tuckerman said.
But CCFoD Co-ordinator and former Gosford Mayor, Jane Smith, said Cootamundra-Gundagai was not the only Council, or community, which recognises the 2016 Council mergers have delivered a poor outcome for their communities.
“In 2021, Inner West Council conducted a poll where over 62 per cent of voters wanted to demerge … and is now preparing a business case,” she said.
“In July, 2022, the largest Council in NSW, Canterbury Bankstown, voted to prepare a business case for a demerger and in August, 2022, Snowy Rivers Council also voted to prepare a business case for a demerger.
“Gosford and Wyong Councils were forced to merge in 2016 by the NSW Liberal Government to become Central Coast Council.
“Six years later, staff have been sacked, rates are rising, community assets have been sold, services have been cut and local democracy has been taken from our community.”
Smith said the 20 amalgamated councils around NSW faced losses of $1.03B in three years and ratepayers faced hikes in rates and cuts in services.
“Eight out of 10 of the worst performing councils in NSW were merged councils; in May, 2021, IPART determined rate increases for seven merged councils ranging from 8 per cent to 53 per cent,” she said.
“In November, 2020, Greg Warren, NSW Shadow Minister for Local Government, said the opposition, with support from the cross benches, would establish a parliamentary inquiry into the failing merger process and identify options the government must take to repair the damage done to councils and their communities.
“However, it appears that NSW Labor has failed to follow through on this promise.”
Smith said Central Coast residents deserve to have a say on the future of Council.
CCFoD is calling for the NSW Government to pay the $100M it says is owed to the Central Coast community and the Council to cover the true cost of its forced amalgamation.
It is also calling for the Government to conduct a poll to ask the community if they want to stay as one Central Coast Council or demerge whilst maintaining some shared services.
It is calling on Administrator, Rik Hart, to resolve to prepare a business case for the demerger of Central Coast Council and for the Parliamentary Inquiry into the 2016 mergers, as promised by NSW Labor, to proceed before the state election in March 2023.
CCFoD has established a community survey on the future of Council and a petition calling on the Premier to deliver $100M to the Council.
These can also be found at: www.ccfriendsofdemocracy.com
The move follows a rally held recently at Parliament House, organised by Save Our Councils NSW and attended by some members of the Central Coast community along with Shadow Minister for Local Government, Greg Warren, protesting the forced mergers of 2016.
Warren said the issues with Central Coast Council have been well documented and there is no doubt that the costs and logistics associated with the merger of Gosford and Wyong councils contributed significantly to the precarious financial situation Central Coast Council found itself in.
“Unfortunately that is a fact the NSW Liberal and National Government continue to refute,” he said.
Terry Collins
Yes yes yes. Demerge!
Demerge and return to democracy instead of autocracy.
So, Wyong residents were lumped with the debts of Gosford residents, and since then the majority of funds have been spent fixing up issues primarily in Gosford. If we demerge, how with the northern end be compensated for having to cover for the south for these years?
Not worth the demerger in my humble opinion. It’s done. Let’s just do what we can to make it as good as we can, and hopefully the State gov can pay for some of the pain and suffering we’ve all experienced.