A relentless campaign and a lengthy meeting with NSW Local Government Minister Paul Toole has saved Maitland City Council from a forced merger with Dungog, Maitland mayor Peter Blackmore said.
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Cr Blackmore, general manager David Evans and deputy mayor Bob Geoghegan helped Mr Toole change his mind during a lengthy meeting in Sydney last month.
Mr Toole agreed with their arguments and confirmed he “was aware of Dungog’s position”, Cr Blackmore said.
A strong word from Upper Hunter MP Michael Johnsen and Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Scot MacDonald also played a role, Cr Blackmore said.
“We protested very loudly and we left no stone unturned,” Cr Blackmore said.
“From [Mr Toole’s] body language and response to us it was clear he could see what we were talking about.”
The NSW Office of Local Government revealed on Friday that Maitland will stand alone while Dungog and Gloucester councils merge and Port Stephens joins with Newcastle.
Cr Blackmore said the Dungog-Gloucester merger was a “surprise” and linking Port Stephens and Newcastle “didn’t make sense”.
He speculated the move was based on Newcastle’s poor economic position at the time of the initial IPART assessment, rather than Port Stephen’s strong economic record.
Mr Evans said the council was waiting for written correspondence to confirm the state government’s plans for Maitland, following a web hook-up with the department and NSW Premier Mike Baird on Friday morning.
“It’s good news for Maitland, we’ve always believed we were Fit for the Future as a stand alone council,” Mr Evans said.
Cr Blackmore wants the state government to list the city as being “Fit for the Future” as soon as possible.
The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal’s assessment deemed Maitland unfit and said it did not meet all of the criteria.
Dungog and Gloucester councils were also deemed “unfit”.
“We felt aggrieved when a couple of the councils in the Hunter were found fit and we weren’t,” Cr Blackmore said.
“We want to be reinstated as an indication to our staff and the community that we are indeed fit.”
Ratepayers will be able to give feedback on the proposal.
Unfit councils are expected to have the chance to resubmit their Fit for the Future assessment next year.
The local government elections will be postponed until March 2017 so the mergers can take place.
