Today the Baird government announced that North Shore councils: Ryde, Lane Cove and Hunters Hill will merge.
The decision for the councils to merge comes under the Fit for the Future reforms and the announcement has surprised residents as they believed the three councils would also merge with Mosman, North Sydney and Willoughby.
Ryde, Lane Cove and Hunters Hill councils protested the six way merger and put forward to government that they form a joint regional authority.
Both the Ryde and Hunters Hills Mayors are disappointed with the NSW Governments decision not to allow them to form a joint regional authority.
City of Ryde Mayor Jerome Laxale said “we proposed something that we think is better than a merger. That has been ignored.”
Whilst Hunters Hill mayor Richard Quinn said, “The government has ignored the community.”
This announcement takes Sydney’s councils from 43 down to 25 under Premier Baird’s Fit for the Future Reforms.
The government believes that these reforms will ensure that councils are able to deliver quality services and infrastructure for their communities
Local council and residents don’t see it that way as Lane Cove Mayor Deborah Hutcheons said “it’s the residents that I feel for because once again, we’re still left up in the air as to the process and how long it will take.”
Photo by Richard Gifford
