COUNTRY Labor candidate for Bathurst Cass Coleman has called on Nationals MP and Minister for Local Government Paul Toole to rule out forced amalgamations of local councils in the Central West.
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“Minister Toole has refused to rule out forcing councils to amalgamate, which would cost local jobs and diminish community services,” Mrs Coleman said.
The NSW Government received the final report of the Independent Local Government Review Panel last October. The report recommended many councils across NSW be merged, including a possible merger of Bathurst and Oberon councils.
“The Liberal-National Government has never formally responded to this report, despite spending $1.8 million on consultants’ reports and polling to put the report together,” Mrs Coleman said.
“Instead of responding to this expensive report, the Government sat on it for three months until January this year.
“The Government then referred the report for more consultation until April this year, and still has not issued a formal response. Prior to the 2011 election, Paul Toole, along with Liberal leader Barry O’Farrell and Nationals leader Andrew Stoner, gave the Mayor of Oberon a written guarantee that Oberon Council would not have to amalgamate with Bathurst," Mrs Coleman said.
