Submission - what do we write?

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Many community members are adamant that they do not want or need amalgamation. The general feeling is that in addition to it being an extremely costly exercise, we can see no benefit to be gained by amalgamating the Shire of Kent with any of our neighbours. In fact, the opposite seems to be the case.
We are a shire with a large area, though sparsely populated. True of any shire who's main land use is broad acre agriculture. Our shire is serviced by two small towns, providing community facilities such as paved streets, bitumised roads, town halls and excellent sporting & recreational facilities. With Katanning to the west and Lake Grace to the east, the community has no need of banks, doctors or other services that can be obtained in these two towns.
So with this is mind, it is necessary to think about what the Minister claims amalgamation will achieve.
In the Local Government Steering Committee's Structural Reform Report Guidelines, February 2009, the following list was supplied as to the outcomes that would be achieved through amalgamation:

•  increased capacity for local government to better plan, manage and deliver services to their communities with a focus on social, environmental and economic sustainability
• increased capacity for local government to have adequate financial and asset management plans in place
• enhanced efficiency in the processing of planning, building and other license applications made by business and the community
• greater ability to attract staff, including the provision of further career opportunities
• greater competition for positions on council, and, in conjunction with other reforms, potential for enhanced government capacity
• larger local governments with greater capacity to partner with State and Federal government, and the private sector, to further improve services to the community

In my submission to council, I have address each of these 'advantages' and put them into the context of the communities of the Shire of Kent. I argued that such efficiencies and abilities would not assist the communities of Nyabing and Pingrup to grow and prosper, rather they would only be providing  the new entity with the ability to grow and prosper the large town in which the new council will be administered.
Put simply, in my view, amalgamation would destroy the small towns within the Shire of Kent.

Cr Cathy Crosby has sent information to everyone in the Shire of Kent with further 'benefits' outlined by the Local Government Advisory Board. Please read these in order to describe counter arguments as to why amalgamation would not be effective in providing such benefits for our communities.