Minister's Request

Sunday, December 20, 2009

The Shire of Kent has received a letter from the Local Government Minister thanking us for our consideration of reform options.

The letter states that after considering our decision not to 'embrace the opportunity for voluntary reform', he has determined the 'best way forward is through the creation of Regional Transition or Regional Collaborative Groups.'

The idea is that these groups will then provide the basis for becoming amalgamated by 2013. The Minister states that there will be no 'opt out' clause, so if you decide that the group you have joined is not in your best interests as a shire, there's no opportunity to look at other options!

The Shire of Kent have formed a Voluntary Regional Group of Councils with the Shires of Dumbleyung and Lake Grace. The Minister does not appear to be recognising a VROC as a regional collaborative group. If it isn't a regional collaborative group, then what is?

Many Shires in the Wheatbelt have received the same letter. Shires are planning to band together to protest against the Minister's actions. The Minister has claimed that 54 local governments had advised in their submissions that they were amenable to amalgamations. Yet, local governments, such as ours, that did not indicate any such thing have been advised that they should form these regional groupings.

Of the 139 local governments in WA, only 9 have agreed to voluntary amalgamation. This appears to indicate a distrust of amalgamation as a reform, and a slap in the face for the Minister and his wonderful ideas.

The Minister is not answering his calls or emails, not even from our local government body, WALGA apparently! Everyone has questions, such as 'who's going to pay?', but the Minister has no answers.

The Shire of Kent moved a recommendation that we write to the Minister and indicate that we are not interested in forming his 'Regional Transition or Collaborative Group'. We will continue with the VROC we have formed.

In speaking with some ratepayers, it appears that a couple of people from the eastern end of our Shire are interested in breaking away and joining Newdegate to become part of the Lake Grace Shire. If there are more than a couple of ratepayers thinking this way, please contact me as I believe we would need to have a Public Meeting to determine whether the original stance of 'no amalgamation' still stands in our Shire.
Council needs to do what it's people want, so if our people have changed their minds, then we must look at our options once more.