Salim Mehajer's Auburn council to be cut in half under council mergers
Australia’s most infamous deputy mayor Salim Mehajer could soon be out of a job at his own council, due to plans announced by NSW Premier Mike Baird today.
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In a bid to make local councils "Fit for the Future" the NSW Government is proposing to cut the number of Sydney councils from 43 to just 25.
Mr Mehajer’s Auburn council would be split in two under the current proposed amalgamations.
A map of proposed mergers shows the southern part of Mr Mehajer’s local government area, which includes Lidcombe where Mr Mehajer had his "wedding of the century" back in August, will be merged with Holroyd council.
The northern part, which includes Sydney Olympic Park, will merge with Parramatta council.
Auburn had been hoping to merge with two Local Government Areas to its east, Canada Bay and Burwood, to create a new Sydney Olympic Park council, News Corp reports.
“It would be a shame to see Sydney Olympic Park thrown to Parramatta City Council,” Mr Mehajer told News Corp.
He also criticised the government's plan to force reluctant councils to amalgamate.
“If this does happen, it is already an indication of a failed amalgamation. One I would call not fit for the future.”
Mr Mehajer would not comment on whether he would continue to serve on the new council or if he would consider running for mayor.
The proposed council amalgamations would also see Warringah council split in two between Pittwater and a new council with Manly and Mosman.
While Woollahra, Waverley and Randwick will join together to form one council stretching from the South Heads to Maroubra via Bondi Beach.
Other mergers include Bankstown and Canterbury, Hurstville and Kogarah, Hornsby and Ku-ring-gai.
The move will also see regional councils reduced from 109 to 87, with councils in the Illawarra to shrink from four to two while the Central Coast will only have one LGA.
Some councils including the City of Sydney, Newcastle, Liverpool and Penrith will remain the same.
The proposal follows a review by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) showing nearly two thirds of the state's councils were not financially "fit for the future".
The plan has been accused of being politically motivated by opposition local government spokesman Peter Primrose.
"This process has been a chaotic shambles from the get go," he told AAP.
"These boundaries ... are the result of trades within cabinet between ministers."
Greens MP David Shoebridge says the government's initial proposal of six mega councils across Sydney, which was later squashed by a community campaign, showed the process was dysfunctional.
"The government is making it up as they go along, it doesn't have a coherent plan and it definitely does not have a parliamentary avenue to force amalgamations," Mr Shoebridge said.
The Save Our Councils Coalition says it will fight the Baird government's plans.
"Make no mistake, amalgamations will see rates going up, libraries being closed down, child care centres privatised and services reduced," spokeswoman Nella Gaughan said.
The government is considering a proposal to set council rates based on property value, rather than land value.
This could mean inner city apartment owners would be forced to pay higher rates and homeowners on large blocks in outer suburbs may pay less.
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