Greens hit back at council merger plan
The Baird government forced amalgamation plan that was announced on Friday has proven unpopular with communities and politicians across the state.
Greens MP and Local Government spokesman David Shoebridge said the proposed forced amalgamations on the table today are far less aggressive than Mike Bairds plans were earlier in the year.
“When a government dribbles out an unpopular policy a week before Christmas, it’s a pretty clear sign that it’s feeling a lot of pain and just wants it to stop,” he said.
“This is a political struggle that will define NSW politics in 2016 and Mike Baird is already on the back foot.
“Six months ago the Baird government was planning to have a mass sacking of councils to appoint administrators and force Sydney into just six mega councils with dozens more council mergers in the bush.
“Growing community pressure has already forced a back down from Baird with no councils being sacked and a much reduced plan for forced mergers across the State.”
Mr Shoebridge described the plan as “a rubbish policy from an arrogant government that knows forced amalgamations are deeply unpopular”.
”What has been announced today (Friday) is an incoherent plan for the future of local government without a scrap of evidence to support it,” he said.
”There is not a single report that supports a single one of these proposed mergers. What we see from Baird is a scrappy attempt at a political fix and councils and residents deserve far better.
“Baird is already finding that communities have far closer connections with their local councils and the services they provide than some smooth-talking bloke that they see on TV occasionally.
“The Greens remain committed to work with communities to stand up to the Coalition’s bullying, oppose forced amalgamations and keep local councils genuinely local.”